Maple Leafs’ Michael Bunting Looking to Reignite his Game By Going to the Net
Bunting #Bunting
With just one point in his last 10 games, Michael Bunting is putting more of an emphasis at bringing back the elements of his game that brought him success last season.
PITTSBURGH — It may be too early to call it a sophomore slump. In fact, in Michael Bunting’s case, it’s still a weird thing to say since he was a 25-year-old “rookie” last year when he scored 23 goals and had 63 points in 79 games last season.
But here is, in his second full season in the NHL with just one point in his last 10 games heading into Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I’ve got to go back to what brought me success last year and what brings me success as a player,” Bunting explained.
Last season, Bunting won himself a top-six forward position with the Maple Leafs by this time last year, unseating Nick Ritchie, who began the year on the top line with forward Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The Scarborough native was a contributor to Toronto’s 3.84 goals score per game.
This season, it is 2.81 through 15 games.
So what’s changed this season?
Bunting says he’s gotten away from the net. Something he did well last season.
Last season, the Leafs had a high-danger scoring chance percentage of 62 per cent, per NaturalStatTrick.com. This season it’s down to 55 per cent through 16 games.
“That’s something I’m going to focus on, which is go to those dirty areas, going to the net and getting the pucks to Matty [Auston Matthews and Will [William Nylander] and let them do their thing and then get open as much as I can.
After struggling to find success on the top line, Bunting was demoted to the third line for a game on Oct. 27th against the Sharks, but that was also to change the dynamic of the third line that had struggled with Alex Kerfoot as the third-line center with Pierre Engvall and Calle Jarnkrok.
“I certainly don’t look at it as a promotion,” Kerfoot explained at the time.
Bunting moved back into the spot until he was moved back down to the third line for home games against the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 8 and Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 11.
“I think I just needed a reset,” Bunting said. “I’m pretty hard on myself to begin with as a player. I just want to go out there and build my confidence back and kind of just keep it rolling and just go game-by-game and not to get too high on highs and not to get too low on lows.”
Bunting is in the second year of a two-year, $1.9 million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He has two goals and six points in 16 games in 2022-23.