Fans want Michael Bunting out of Toronto!
All coming out after the Maple Leafs’ playoff elimination.
HockeyFeed
There is a lot on the plate of the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer, and rumblings have emerged as they are still getting over their second-round elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers.
One thing on that busy schedule is the negotiation of a new contract for forward Michael Bunting.
The hometown boy’s two-year, $950,000 AAV deal is now over and he has expressed his desire to come back to Toronto despite the lack of negotiations throughout the season.
“This is the unfortunate part of this business when contracts are up and decisions have to be made,” Bunting said Monday per Sportsnet, adding that he’s unsure about the future. “I’m going to be honest, I haven’t even really thought about it, it’s only been a couple days. I’ll kind of let my agent handle that stuff going on, and just be ready to make a decision when the time comes. But I’m not really sure.”
But the thing is Michael, you’ve been trending on social media as several fans do not want you back in Toronto. When asked on a broad pool whether the Maple Leafs should re-sign Bunting, some fans were pretty blunt about parting ways with the gritty forward.
The Maple Leafs currently have just over $8.22 million in salary cap space and 10 players set to become unrestricted free agents July 1 and another two eligible for RFA status. For Bunting, not only some fans aren’t interested in him returning : he may have also have priced himself out of Toronto.
The Maple Leafs are also keeping in mind the work ahead for an extension with superstar Auston Matthews, who is also entering the final year of his contract.
These passionate fans may get what they want with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli listing Bunting as the top UFA a few months ago.
Bunting put up 23 goals and 49 points in 82 games during the regular season, adding one goal and an assist in seven playoff games. He missed three contests during Toronto’s first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to a suspension for an illegal check to the head and sat an additional game as a healthy scratch.
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