When the Toronto Maple Leafs let go of Zach Hyman following the 2020-21 season, they had a gaping hole to fill on the top line. Unbeknownst to them at the time, they had drafted his replacement in Matthew Knies, but he wouldn’t arrive for another two years. In the meantime, they needed somebody to fill that forechecking role on the top line. I’m sure they weren’t intending for it to shake out this way initially, but after signing Michael Bunting to a two-year contract, the Scarborough native worked his way onto the top line and quickly replaced Hyman’s production, with 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games. Beyond the typical Toronto boy who grew up a Leafs fan going home to play for his boyhood team angle, he would always defend his teammates in scrums and cause a nuisance in front of the net, so it was a good fit for both sides.

Bunting’s second season with the team didn’t go quite as planned. He appeared to be on the bad side of officials around the NHL, and despite scoring the same number of goals in year 2, his playmaking took a hit with only 26 assists. 49 points is still a pretty productive season from a guy who was making less than $1 million at the time, but between Knies’ emergence in the 2022-23 playoffs and Brad Treliving taking over as general manager, the Leafs didn’t negotiate a new deal with Bunting and let him walk to free agency.

Since then, Bunting has spent time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars. He hasn’t been able to reach the level of production of his first year with the Leafs in that time, but with a new offseason coming up and equipped with a new set of needs, a reunion between Bunting and the Maple Leafs might make sense.

Assuming the Leafs don’t add an established top six winger for their left side, they will be starting the year with Matthew Knies and Gavin McKenna in their top six. The key word here is ‘starting’, committing to having an 18-year-old rookie riding shotgun in the top six of a team with desperate aspirations to return to the playoffs and make an extended run would be a recipe for disaster. If there are any speed bumps at all in the start of McKenna’s tenure with the Leafs, Bunting is somebody who can play in the top six in a pinch, and of course, injuries happen too. Otherwise, his production over the past couple of years would give their third line a much-needed boost.

There’s also Bunting’s relationship with new general manager John Chayka. While he had no ties to Treliving, which led to his initial departure, Bunting spent his early 20s playing in the Arizona Coyotes organization while Chayka was at the helm. Neither party made it out of the 2020-21 season with the organization, so a reunion could be enticing to both parties here. Chayka hasn’t been on the job long enough nor has he made enough moves to suggest that he’s the type of GM to go after ‘his guys’, but familiarity is always a factor that helps these types of situations, and just like the logic he used when hiring head coach Jim Hiller, familiarity with the market is an asset. Bunting was never bothered by the media or the spotlight, in fact, he seemed to thrive in it, so that probably gives him an edge up on other depth options.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that this is probably only a deal that happens if Bunting is willing to accept a shorter-term contract. That might not be something he’s looking for at this stage of his career, and if it’s not, the Leafs probably won’t go in this direction.  But if it’s in the ballpark of a 2–3-year contract, there’s probably a reasonable agreement both sides can reach.

It’s also worth asking what he might command on his next contract. He just wrapped up the third year of a three-year deal worth $4.5 million annually. You could argue he lived up to that deal, but his production did dry up following a deadline trade to the Dallas Stars. Would he take something slightly less under the basis of returning to his hometown team? Something around $3-4 million would probably be feasible. The Leafs currently have $20 million of cap space to work with and will now have the benefit of Gavin McKenna’s entry-level contract working for them, so between that and the cap rising, they should be able to navigate around a situation that would see them committing too much money to him.

With free agency opening up on Wednesday, it’ll be fascinating to see how the Leafs navigate their first free agency under Chayka. The new GM is on record saying he considers their top priority to be rounding out the depth, and if Bunting meets their criteria, it could be worth them circling back.

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