Michael Bunting

Michael Bunting

29-Year-Old Left WingLW
Pittsburgh Penguins
2024 Fantasy Outlook
In his first full NHL campaign back in 2021-22, Bunting racked up a career-best 23 goals and 40 assists while playing in 79 games for the Maple Leafs. In the two seasons since, the two-way forward hasn't been able to get back over the 60-point threshold. Having said that, the 28-year-old winger clearly enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh, maintaining nearly a point-per-game with 19 points in 21 outings after he was traded from the Hurricanes. Bunting appears to finally be the answer to the club's search for a winger to play with Evgeni Malkin - a role that could set him up to top that rookie point total and offer top-end fantasy value in 2024-25. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal with the Hurricanes in July of 2023.
Game finally heating up
LWPittsburgh Penguins
December 23, 2024
Bunting scored twice Monday in a 7-3 win over the Flyers.
ANALYSIS
Bunting's first pushed the Penguins up 3-1 in the first period when he tapped in a pass from Evgeni Malkin on the power play. His second pushed the Pens up 5-3 at the end of the second frame. Bunting's start to the season was coated with ice, but he's warmed up with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last 11 games, and five of those points have come on the man advantage. Bunting seems to be getting his feet under him, and that's great news for patient managers.
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NHL Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2018
2024 NHL Game Log
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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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2018 NHL Game Log
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2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    14:43
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    1:50
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    0:00
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
15:48
1:49
0:00
2023–24
15:07
2:50
0:01
2023–24
17:19
2:51
0:00
2024–25
14:43
1:50
0:00
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Penguins Power Play Depth Chart
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Michael Bunting See More
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
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.
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
Heating up
LWPittsburgh Penguins
December 17, 2024
Bunting put up two assists in a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Tallies in Tuesday's loss
LWPittsburgh Penguins
December 11, 2024
Bunting scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Avalanche.
ANALYSIS
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Tallies on power play
LWPittsburgh Penguins
December 7, 2024
Bunting scored a power-play goal on three shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
ANALYSIS
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Three-point effort in win
LWPittsburgh Penguins
December 1, 2024
Bunting scored a power-play goal and added two assists, one with the man advantage, in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Flames.
ANALYSIS
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Prevents shutout Friday
LWPittsburgh Penguins
November 22, 2024
Bunting scored a power-play goal on two shots and added five hits in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Joining Team Canada
LWPittsburgh Penguins
May 3, 2024
Bunting will play for Team Canada in the upcoming 2024 IIHF World Championship.
ANALYSIS
Bunting had 19 goals and 55 points in 81 regular-season contests between Carolina and Pittsburgh in 2023-24. He won a gold medal with Canada in the 2021 IIHF World Championship, though he finished that tournament with no points in 10 appearances.
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