After a surprising campaign in 2021-22 in which he registered 63 points, much was expected of Bunting a year ago in a contract year, and he delivered with a solid 49 points for their top line.
With this consistent production over the past two years, many expected him to ink a new deal with Toronto, keeping the top line of Bunting-Matthews-Marner together, but surprisingly, he chose to move on in free agency.
Now, months after quietly signing with the Carolina Hurricanes, Bunting has revealed why he left the Maple Leafs after two fantastic seasons.
Now, he finds himself on a team looking to make a deep playoff run with plenty of talent up and down their lineup, and with the Leafs looking to do the same, there's a good chance they could run into each other down the line.