In a shocking turn of events on Thursday, we are expected to see a major deal taking place involving former Leaf, Michael Bunting, who is expected to be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a part of a package for gifted forward Jake Guentzel.
Bunting was just part-way through the first year of a 3-year contract he signed with the Hurricanes this past summer, which carries a $4.5M cap hit. Per the Hurricanes' official PR account, Bunting will be held out of the lineup tonight as a result of the trade, which will reunite him with former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh.
For Guentzel, he'll be joining a Carolina Hurricanes team who are poised to go on a deep playoff run this season. Guentzel, a former multi-time 40-goal scorer, will add some much needed scoring punch to an already strong Hurricanes team that currently sits 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, just 6 points back of the New York Rangers for tops in the division.
There's been no mention as of yet what the full details of the trade between Pittsburgh and Carolina will entail, but with Guentzel being the top available target at forward, the package should be substantial. This also likely triggers a rebuild for the Pens.
