One of the biggest additions to the Carolina Hurricanes roster this year was left wing Michael Bunting. After a breakout season in 2021-2022, the ex-Maple Leaf has headed south and joined the Canes in their quest for the Stanley Cup.
Bunting was brought in to score goals and add some grit to the forward group. In each of the past two seasons, he has scored 23 goals and amassed over 80 penalty minutes. His ability to draw penalties and facilitate plays made him very successful in Toronto and has been a large part of his early success to start the season.
Although right wing Andrei Svechnikov has been a staple of Carolina’s offense for many more seasons than Bunting, don’t be surprised if Bunting is the best winger the Hurricanes have by the end of the season.
The Canes’ offense runs through the defense, with a significant portion generated from shots at the blue line. Last regular season, the Hurricanes outshot 99% of teams from long-range and outscored 93% of them from beyond the face-off circles.
Shooting from the point as much as Carolina does generates deflections and rebounds in high-danger areas for forwards to capitalize on. This is where Bunting excels — his ability to maneuver the puck in tight spaces and finish is a large part of how he racks up 20 goals every season.
Seventeen of Bunting’s 23 goals came from inside the high-danger zone, which puts him in the 95th percentile compared to other forwards in the same area. As a team, the Canes only ranked in the 62nd percentile, so adding Bunting as a net-front presence will bolster the scoring chances not just for him, but others as well.
Bunting also has the unique skill of being able to draw penalties, drawing the second most penalties in the entire NHL last season. His shiftiness combined with his persistence in getting in the opposing team’s face brings many power play opportunities to whatever team he is on.
In just six games this season, Bunting has drawn four penalties, the second most on the team, and has helped Carolina as a whole draw the most penalties in the entire league and spend the most time on ice on the power play.
Not only has Bunting been effective at drawing penalties, but he’s also been electric on the power play. To start the season, he’s recorded two primary assists and one goal, which came on opening night.
Bunting’s effort to win puck battles down low and near the net has been rewarded with more opportunities on the ice both on the first line and on the first power play unit.
To say that Bunting is the best winger on the team might seem outlandish, especially when players like Svechnikov, a former No. 2 overall draft pick, are on the team. However, Bunting’s impact is much more noticeable just by watching him play.
In five NHL seasons, Svechnikov has only had one 30-goal season and has never been a point-per-game player. Svechnikov has had three seasons scoring 23-plus goals, whereas Bunting has scored 23 plus twice in just two full seasons.
Although people often label Svechnikov as an elite shooter without a second thought, his career shooting percentage is only 11.5%, which is significantly lower than Bunting’s 14.6%. Svechnikov’s shooting talent is unquestionable, however. He doesn’t get as much flack as other players have for how often he misses the net completely.
Bunting’s grit also makes him an indispensable player for the Canes. He’s not afraid to ruffle some feathers, which draws less physical attention to other players like center Sebastian Aho.
Even for skills that wingers aren’t necessarily supposed to have such as faceoffs, Bunting’s career faceoff win percentage is 52.8, while Svechnikov’s is just 24.1.
While Svechnikov makes his return from an ACL injury, Bunting will have a couple more weeks to prove why he should continue getting those first-line opportunities. By the end of the season, assuming he stays healthy, Bunting will surprise a lot of Hurricanes fans with just how good he really is.
