Michael Bunting

Michael Bunting

28-Year-Old Left WingLW
Pittsburgh Penguins
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Bunting was a late bloomer, but at the age of 26, he took advantage of an opportunity to play regularly alongside Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews, which led to Bunting finishing third in Calder Trophy voting in 2021-22 after scoring 23 goals and 63 points in 79 contests. However, despite once again getting to play alongside elite forwards, Bunting regressed in 2022-23 to 23 goals and 49 points in 82 contests. He can make his presence known by playing with a level of nastiness, as evidenced by his 80 PIM in 2021-22 and 103 last year, though the winger's not a great source of hits, having never finished with more than 85 in a single campaign. Bunting tested the unrestricted free agent market over the summer and ultimately signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal with Carolina. The Hurricanes have more depth on the left wing than Toronto did, which might result in Bunting going from a first-line option to a third-line mainstay. That will put a damper on his offensive production, though his tenacity should remain a factor to maintain solid mid-round fantasy value. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal with the Hurricanes in July of 2023.
Gets back to 20-goal mark
LWPittsburgh Penguins
April 13, 2024
Bunting scored twice and went minus-2 in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Bruins.
ANALYSIS
Bunting netted a power-play goal in the second period and scored late in the third, but it was too late to make a difference. The winger has four goals and five assists through seven outings in April. That surge has helped him get back to the 20-goal mark for the third time in four years. He's added 32 assists, 164 shots on net, 48 hits, 57 PIM and a minus-19 rating through 79 appearances between the Penguins and the Hurricanes.
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NHL Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2018
2023 NHL Game Log
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2022 NHL Game Log
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2021 NHL Game Log
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2020 NHL Game Log
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2023–24 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    15:07
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    2:50
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    0:01
  • Average Time On Ice:
    17:17
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    2:53
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    0:00
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2021–22
15:33
1:17
0:01
2022–23
15:48
1:49
0:00
2023–24
15:07
2:50
0:01
2023–24
17:17
2:53
0:00
Penguins Depth Chart
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Penguins Power Play Depth Chart
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Future up in the air
LWToronto Maple Leafs
May 16, 2023
Bunting, an impending unrestricted free agent, didn't hold any talks with the Maple Leafs on a potential contract extension this season, TSN reports.
ANALYSIS
Bunting will undoubtedly be looking for a significant raise over the $950,000 he made in 2022-23 after racking up 46 goals and 112 points through 161 games over the past two campaigns, and it looks like he could end up being a cap casualty for Toronto. Wherever he ends up, look for the 27-year-old winger to continue to put up similar numbers while skating in a middle-six role in 2023-24.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
One of the best values in the league in 2021-22, Bunting was signed by the Leafs to a $950K contract and rewarded them with 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games. It was enough to make Bunting a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, eventually won by Detroit's Moritz Seider. As good as Bunting played, he would seem to be a prime regression candidate this coming year. His time with the man advantage is limited (1:17 per game last season) and it's unlikely he'll score at the same clip when not surrounded by the likes of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Let another fantasy manager pay for Bunting's past production.
Bunting turned a 21-game audition with the Coyotes in 2020-21 into a two-year deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency. The reason: he scored 10 goals and added three assists while logging top-six minutes toward the end of last season. It doesn't take much to realize Bunting will likely experience a drop-off in both ice time and quality of play in 2021-22 -- he converted his shots at 26.3 percent in a limited sample last year on a bad team. The Maple Leafs' wing depth makes it unlikely Bunting cracks Toronto's top six this year, although he could still be effective as an energy winger on the third line. The 25-year-old probably won't top 25 points once regression takes hold, although he could start the year with power-play duties, which would provide a boost to his scoring numbers given the talent around him.
More Fantasy News
Three points including GWG
LWPittsburgh Penguins
April 7, 2024
Bunting scored the game-winning goal and added two assists in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.
ANALYSIS
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Scores in Thursday's win
LWPittsburgh Penguins
April 5, 2024
Bunting scored a goal on a team-high six shots in Thursday's 4-1 victory over Washington.
ANALYSIS
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Will play Monday
LWPittsburgh Penguins
April 1, 2024
Bunting (illness) will be in the lineup to face the Rangers on Monday, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Leaves game due to illness
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Illness
March 30, 2024
Bunting left Saturday's game versus the Blue Jackets due to an illness.
ANALYSIS
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Two-point effort Friday
LWPittsburgh Penguins
March 23, 2024
Bunting scored a goal and added an assist in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Stars.
ANALYSIS
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