Michael Bunting suspended three games

[al secord]

What kind of offers do you think he's going to get? I'm sure we wont be offering him the term with the number others will though you're probably right.

I just think we're not in a position to offer him what he can get on the open market. I think after coming back from injury, he's shown he can still fit into teams top 6 and make top 6 dollars. I don't think he's the type or in the same position to pull a Spezza or Giordano. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[CelticDruid]

I just ran some numbers on CapFriendly and we can ice a 23-man roster with Bunting at 3 and ROR at 6 with over 1M in cap space pretty easily. While retaining Acciari (1.5), Kampf (1.5), Schenn (1.2), and Samsonov (4). We are actually in a good spot. Oh I forgot to add we dumped Murray and a pick for "futures"

Not saying Bunting should get 3 from us but if we want him back it shouldn't be an issue keeping him and ROR.

The only issue I see is our left side D. Little worried about Gio and McCabe has been known to miss large stretches.

6 million for O'Reilly?

Third line centre?

He probably has a couple of years left in him.

Good player but caution should be amplified on signing vets that are worn down.

 

[SoftDumpNtheCorner88]

I just ran some numbers on CapFriendly and we can ice a 23 man roster with Bunting at 3 and ROR at 6 with over 1M in cap space pretty easily. While retaining Acciari (1.5), Kampf (1.5), Schenn (1.2), Samsonov (4). We are actually in a good spot. Oh I forgot to add we dumped Murray and a pick for "futures"

Not saying Bunting should get 3 from us but if we want him back it shouldn't be an issue keeping him and ROR.

Only issue I see is our left side D. Little worried about Gio and McCabe has been known to miss large stretches.

Let Bunting, kampf get their pay day else where if they price themselves out, we can always sign ROR and Accarai and Schenn, ZAR. maybe see if Kerfoot can come in cheaper for depth and just give Knies/Robertson a longer leash next.
year.

Jarnkrok -Matthews - Marner
Robertson/Knies - JT - Willy
Knies/Robertson - ROR - Accarai
ZAR - Holmberg - Lafferty

McCabe -Brodie
Gio - Liljegren
Reilly - Schenn

Sammy
Will
Murray

 

[RunItBackAgain]

6 million for O'Reilly?

Third line centre?

He probably has a couple of years left in him.

Good player but caution should be amplified on signing vets that are worn down.

Mostly just an exercise to see how our cap situation looked and it's actually not that bad. You're right though for sure I wouldn't want him for 6 for longer than probably 3 years and there's just no way he takes that. But it probably wouldn't be a hard contract to move in a couple years if he does age out of it.

 

[Squiffy]

Bunting will be back in somewhere somehow, we all know this right? I'm not even saying I agree with it here (I do), but a guy that has played top line mostly and third line at worst all season is not getting Black Aced all of a sudden. Seriously.

No, I don't know who comes out.

 

[crump]

Does Bunting come back in after his suspension?

These two games in Tampa are going to be tough, if we win both with the current Lineup, it should take an injury for him to get back in. If we have a bad game 4 and looks like we need a change, put him on the 4th line unless there’s an injury higher up in the lineup.

Maybe he is a risk, but there are still some some greasy goals in that stick I think.

 

[Schennanigans]

If we are better without bunting he should not return

 

[Thornbury]

Let Bunting, kampf get their pay day else where if they price themselves out, we can always sign ROR and Accarai and Schenn, ZAR. maybe see if Kerfoot can come in cheaper for depth and just give Knies/Robertson a longer leash next.
year.

Jarnkrok -Matthews - Marner
Robertson/Knies - JT - Willy
Knies/Robertson - ROR - Accarai
ZAR - Holmberg - Lafferty

McCabe -Brodie
Gio - Liljegren
Reilly - Schenn

Sammy
Will
Murray

I agree with this except Timmins should be the three RD, not Schenn. Luke would be the perfect 7th D.

 

[fancy lad]

Does Bunting come back in after his suspension?

These two games in Tampa are going to be tough, if we win both with the current Lineup, it should take an injury for him to get back in. If we have a bad game 4 and looks like we need a change, put him on the 4th line unless there’s an injury higher up in the lineup.

Maybe he is a risk, but there are still some some greasy goals in that stick I think.

That’s basically it. He’s essentially played himself out of the lineup. the only way he comes back into the lineup is up to another players injury or ineffectiveness.

 

[TMLAM34]

If we win these next two games, you have an argument in letting him watch from the pressbox if things are going too well.

 

[fahad203]

Bunting still a very valuable player. Let's not all witch hunt the guy

There will be injuries, he'll get back in.

 

[zoA]

So when Bunting got buried head first into the boards, it's a 2min for whatever, who cares too bad so sad. While the hit was from behind and the cross check made Buntings head drop and so the crown of his helmet went directly at the boards, doesn't make a difference that it was all things considered a premeditated head shot, crickets from the league.

What should have happened is 5-10 and a game for Cernak, but no just a 2 minute minor, which created the situation and framed Buntings suspension. Like the Fixx said, "one thing leads to another!"

For all of the folks who absolve the officiating at every turn, what do you call the treatment Bunting has been receiving from the on ice officials for the past month. They created an open season on him for anyone who cared to take a shot.

NHL officiating is biased and always has been, there are calls ignored there are calls made that kill momentum, see the call on Kampf for proof. The Leafs were climbing back into the game and the officials quite simply said "oh no you don't."

The thing is, there are definitely a lot of calls missed when Bunting gets abused, but it’s been known by the team and him that this is the treatment he’ll get for the whole year. I’m not saying it’s right, cause it’s 100% not right and should never happen in professional spots. That said, Bunting hasn’t stopped acting like a clown though; baiting players doesn’t work now, exaggerating falls and physical interactions and then yelling at everyone serves no one. His presence has become a negative for the team and I actually believe it affects how the refs call against the entire team too.

It’s a shitty situation and ultimately the refs and the league are a complete joke here, but Bunting deserves his own fate at this point.

 

[WillyC]

I feel sorry for Bunting… like JT, Mitch, Gio amd Vintage… Bunts grew up dreaming of his Toronto Maple Leafs.

He must be hurting real bad… hope he comes back and plays great for us.

Still loving Matthew Knies though… these kind of problems are all good to have.

 

[Maple Leaf]

I feel sorry for Bunting… like JT, Mitch, Gio amd Vintage… Bunts grew up dreaming of his Toronto Maple Leafs.

He must be hurting real bad… hope he comes back and plays great for us.

Still loving Matthew Knies though… these kind of problems are all good to have.

Nah he can watch from the pressbox instead of messing up our mojo

 

[TheDoldrums]

At this point I'd be pretty surprised if he's extended. Some beat writers already seem to be laying the groundwork by wondering how much the Leafs really want him back. Seems his act has worn thin with the team as well. I've always liked him and it's pretty stunning to think like this after his 63 point rookie year, but I don't think they'll make a very competitive offer to keep him.

 

[WillyC]

Nah he can watch from the pressbox instead of messing up our mojo

Don’t get me wrong, he sits until a spot opens.

I just feel bad for him… tough lesson to learn on your hometown team.

 

[therealkoho]

The thing is, there are definitely a lot of calls missed when Bunting gets abused, but it’s been known by the team and him that this is the treatment he’ll get for the whole year. I’m not saying it’s right, cause it’s 100% not right and should never happen in professional spots. That said, Bunting hasn’t stopped acting like a clown though; baiting players doesn’t work now, exaggerating falls and physical interactions and then yelling at everyone serves no one. His presence has become a negative for the team and I actually believe it affects how the refs call against the entire team too.

It’s a shitty situation and ultimately the refs and the league are a complete joke here, but Bunting deserves his own fate at this point.

Not saying he didn't help in the digging of his own grave, but what I am saying is if the officials don't like his act they always have the option of a 10 min misconduct with a warning for ejection. However they didn't do that and instead turned a blind eye, or blinked as Kerry may have said, and allowed him to be hooked, high sticked, slashed, roughed, gouged and whatever which were clearly all penalties but NOT CALLED, because the officials weren't going to let an NHL player show them up! Show them up? That's not how laws nor the rule book works. Rules are black and white and are supposed to be the same for everyone. They are not supposed to be applied when the referees feel a momentum shift is necessary, or used as retribution against a coach and or player, or because the league, television and or the bookies make more money if the blue team doesn't cover.

 

[ULF_55]

Agreed .. all players want is a FAIR system too .. i think everyone would be fine with you are gone for as long as guy you hurt is gone .. an eye for an eye .. and if a guy plays rest of game then you get either a 2 minute penalty, a 5 minute penalty or a double minor and that's it

That would lead to other issues, if Matthews hit some scrub the other team doesn't care about, they still pay him but keep him on IR long after necessary.

Matthews could sit a year without pay.

 

[keonsbitterness]

I'd re-sign him for 2-3 years at a good price. If he wants a lot more, it's an easy no

I expect he'll see more games if we advance.

 

[kb]

If it were me.....re: Bunting coming off the 3 gamer....

f Leafs are up 3-1, Bunting sits.
If leafs are tied 2-2, but lost Game 4 decisively, he plays. OT loss? Toss up.
If Leafs win Game 4, he sits.
If Leafs are down 3-1, Bunting plays.

 

[zoA]

Not saying he didn't help in the digging of his own grave, but what I am saying is if the officials don't like his act they always have the option of a 10 min misconduct with a warning for ejection. However they didn't do that and instead turned a blind eye, or blinked as Kerry may have said, and allowed him to be hooked, high sticked, slashed, roughed, gouged and whatever which were clearly all penalties but NOT CALLED, because the officials weren't going to let an NHL player show them up! Show them up? That's not how laws nor the rule book works. Rules are black and white and are supposed to be the same for everyone. They are not supposed to be applied when the referees feel a momentum shift is necessary, or used as retribution against a coach and or player, or because the league, television and or the bookies make more money if the blue team doesn't cover.

Trust me, I agree wholeheartedly with this. It’s the same argument I made on the main boards; this should never happen as they should never be allowed to pick and choose or show emotional bias. The fact that we have a blatant case of emotional bias (amongst others that have happened over the years) is nothing short of a giant blight on the league as a whole. If it’s shown that bias exists in reffing, the whole league should not be allowed to have betting at all. It would be nice if a media group would pick up that side of the story because if all these betting sponsors feel like they might be in trouble due to league incompetence, maybe that pressure will actually change something.

 

[Carltons Cup]

I gotta believe Bunting is gonna sit in the pressbox for game 5 after the suspension. No way Knies comes out.

 

[the squared circle]

Can Kerfoot come out for Bunt? Kerf is more responsible, but Bunt brings some sandpaper and can score.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I gotta believe Bunting is gonna sit in the pressbox for game 5 after the suspension. No way Knies comes out.

Agreed. Knies is vastly better than Bunting.

 

[GQS]

I gotta believe Bunting is gonna sit in the pressbox for game 5 after the suspension. No way Knies comes out.

Knies has looked pretty good and has some really good scoring chances to almost get his first NHL goal. When Bunting is done his suspension I wouldn't mind putting him in and sitting Reese and see how it goes. Forth line of Bunting-Kampf-Lafferty looks good to me and gives it abit more offensive punch.