Michael Bunting sends a warning to his former teammates.

During his two seasons as a Toronto Maple Leaf, forward Michael Bunting quickly became a fan favorite for his willingness to engage in the grittier aspects of the sport of hockey and for bringing a bit more of an edge to his game than your typical Maple Leafs forward these days.

On Saturday night however Bunting will return to Toronto for the first time since he signed a a 3 year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes this past summer, one that carries an average annual value and cap hit of $4.5 million. While both Bunting and the Leafs likely would have preferred that Bunting remain in toronto, there was simply no way the Maple Leafs could commit that kind of money to Bunting.

That edge in Bunting’s game is likely to be on full display on Saturday night as the forward likely is intimately familiar with how to get under the skin of his former teammates. In fact Bunting was asked about this very topic ahead of tonight’s game but the forward would not tip his hand. Bunting did however indicate that his ability to get under the skin of his opponents would be on display this evening.

“We’ll find out,” said Bunting when asked which Maple Leaf was the easiest to agitate.

Bunting also didn’t shy away from the fact that this game is a little extra special for him.

“I’m excited to play the old team, play some friends, and obviously that’s hometown for me, so it’s gonna be pretty cool to play them,” admitted the former Maple Leaf.

Tune in tonight to see what Bunting has in store for his former teammates.