The Carolina Hurricanes have signed left winger Michael Bunting on a three-year contract at a $4.5 million AAV.
In each of his two seasons in Toronto, Bunting had posted back-to-back 20+ goal seasons with at least a plus-20 rating, 80 penalty minutes, and just over two shots per game. He made the most of the 15-16 minutes per game that he has received over the past three seasons, sitting within the top 10% of players in 5-on-5 goals per 60. His agitating style had drawn mixed reviews in Toronto, who either for cap reasons or otherwise will be moving on from him.
Bunting can thrive in a top-6 role, as he had logged significant minutes with Auston Matthews. The Canes don't possess a goal scorer of the abilities of Matthews, but they can provide a high-paced style of play that could help him maintain his offensive totals. That should mean lining up with Sebastian Aho is a definite possibility. The Hurricanes aren't particularly well-stocked on the left side, but if Bunting and Aho are a match, then Andrei Svechnikov is negatively impacted at even strength. Bunting is also a borderline PP1 option. That means there's a chance that power-play specialist Stefan Noesen is bumped off the first unit. Bet on that not happening, but the odds aren't zero.
The Canes' eventual demise in the 2023 playoffs had a lot to do with the lack of a high-end goal scorer. Although Bunting is not an elite player, he should at least help the cause.
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Players this helps, in order:
Aho
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Players this hurts, in order:
Svechnikov
Noesen
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