According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Toronto Maple Leafs and forward Michael Bunting are interested in extending his stay with the team. While the two sides haven’t gotten down to the business of talking extension terms, LeBrun suggests the Maple Leafs are thinking about a long-term deal, something potentially as long as eight years.
In a recent article, the NHL insider writes, “There’s little doubt that Mike Bunting wants to remain in Toronto past this year and that the Maple Leafs want to keep him. But for the moment, it’s been very quiet on the contract front.” He adds that Bunting’s agent Paul Capizzano told The Athletic on Wednesday that, “We are not in negotiations at this time.” It sounds like both sides will wait until after the season to see not only how Bunting’s year goes, but how the Maple Leafs do in terms of a must-need playoff run.
The knock on the Leafs is that they’ve yet to win a round in the postseason with this current roster and if Bunting is going to be a big part of it moving forward, the club needs to know he’s a reason for that crucial playoff series win. Once he’s produced when the team needs it most, it sounds like the organization would be more comfortable moving forward. That may also mean making determinations on other players not named Bunting.
LeBrun adds that a long-term deal is also about keeping the salary cap hit low. He explains:
As I reported back in October. I believe the player would be interested in a max eight-year deal to secure his future with his hometown team, and I believe the Leafs front office might actually look at that, given the ability to massage the AAV.
The Time For Contract Talks Will Come
The Maple Leafs are having another good regular season but their performances are often inconsistent. Bunting is having a decent year with 9 goals and 24 points in 36 games. It would make sense the Leafs would want to keep him if he’ll take a team-friendly deal and commit long-term. But, the player is 27 years old and an eight-year deal would bring him to the age of 36. It would need to make sense financially.
LeBrun adds, “But for now, they haven’t picked up the phone yet, which might speak more to the sense of how much is riding on this season as a whole for the team, as far as finally delivering in the playoffs.”
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