Maple Leafs Michael Bunting trade rumors and what a reunion would cost
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
With the Nashville Predators reportedly looking to trade their veterans, the Maple Leafs could use former player Michael Bunting, but it could cost them a big price.
It was reported in November that the Nashville Predators were exploring the idea of moving some of their higher-priced veterans in the hopes of getting younger and opening up some much-needed cap space.
Their recent spending spree hasn't fully paid off in the standings yet, and names like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault have been mentioned in trade speculation.
But one name who could also be in play is Michael Bunting, as The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta recently suggested.
Pagnotta writes:
The Predators have multiple pieces they are willing to move, including the likes of centre Ryan O'Reilly, forwards Michael Bunting, Erik Haula and Michael McCarron, and veterans Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom have full no-movement clauses.
Bunting, Haula, McCarron, Tyson Jost, Cole Smith, and Nick Blankenburg are all playing on expiring contracts and can become unrestricted free agents next summer.
Bunting, Haula, McCarron, Tyson Jost, Cole Smith, and Nick Blankenburg are all playing on expiring contracts and can become unrestricted free agents next summer.
With Bunting being an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and Toronto looking to improve their top-six, could a reunion be in the cards?
What a Bunting trade would realistically cost the Maple Leafs
Toronto was recently at the Nov. 28th game between Chicago and Nashville, and while reports seemed to indicate the Leafs may have been looking at potential Blackhawks players, knowing that Bunting is on the market could open the door to a reunion.
Nashville hasn't publicly set a price, but reporting and their roster direction suggest they want to open up cap space and get younger, so it's reasonable to expect the ask to start with either a young NHL-ready asset or a mid-round pick to help accelerate that shift.
If Toronto were to go roster-for-roster, one hypothetical framework could involve a player like Matias Maccelli, who fits the age range and could get more opportunity in Nashville.
A deal like that would almost certainly need a sweetener. Toronto still has a few picks to work with in the 2026 and 2027 drafts, so a third-rounder on top of a roster player is the kind of package that might at least start the conversation.
What a Michael Bunting reunion would really change for the Maple Leafs
Besides bringing in a player who put up 112 points in 161 games with Toronto, and someone who has familiarity with Auston Matthews -- he's also not that old. At only 30, he fits Toronto's win-now mentality, while also giving them a few more years of service if they choose to re-sign him.
He could fit anywhere in the top-nine, but him alongside Matthews and a blossoming Matthew Knies would give Toronto three scoring threats that all equally have the playmaking ability to find each other.
He's still a gritty forward who has above average possession numbers albeit not as physical as you'd expect from a Maple Leafs-type player.
It's not a perfect solution, and Toronto would be sacrificing some speed and creativity in a player like Maccelli in order to bet on Bunting as a more proven, playoff-tested option.
He's also not a puck-moving defenseman obviously, and while Toronto does need to improve their top-six, adding a transitional blueliner who can lead the offense is equally as important.
Michael Bunting was an important part of some of Toronto's best regular-season stretches under Sheldon Keefe, and with a few more years of seasoning under his belt, he's the type of veteran who could realistically give this group a different edge heading into the postseason.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
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