The Maple Leafs have spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, and the changes point to a clear shift in identity. Toronto has added size, defensive responsibility, and playoff experience. What still isn’t settled is whether the club wants one more forward who can bring energy, emotion, and secondary scoring.
That’s where Michael Bunting enters the conversation. During his time in Toronto, he was one of the team’s most productive and lively forwards.
He put up 63 points in 79 games in 2021-22, then followed that with 49 points the next season. The production mattered, but so did the way he played.
Bunting brought edge, competitiveness, and a style that could change the mood of a game. He was comfortable alongside elite talent like Auston Matthews, and that made him a natural fit in Toronto’s top-end group.
Since then, Bunting has bounced around the league, but Toronto remains the place where he found the most success. A short-term deal could make sense for both sides. The Maple Leafs would be getting a player who already knows the pressure that comes with the market, while Bunting would get another shot to prove he can still be a difference-maker.
At the same time, another former Leaf is heading for a reset of his own. Nicholas Robertson is moving on to Pittsburgh after years of trying to carve out a permanent role in Toronto.
He recently called his time with the Maple Leafs a “blessing in disguise,” and that line says plenty about how his experience unfolded. The talent was there.
The opportunity, not so much.
Robertson entered a lineup built around Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and other established names, so every chance had to be earned and every mistake was magnified. He said the biggest lesson he took from Toronto was simple: always be ready. That’s the grind young players face in a market like this, where patience is limited and expectations are heavy.
Now he gets something he didn’t have much of with the Maple Leafs: stability. After being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins and signing a two-year contract, Robertson has a chance to settle into a role, build confidence, and show what he can become with more consistent opportunity. The move also reunites him with former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas.
For Toronto, Robertson’s exit is another reminder of how hard it can be to develop young players while trying to win right now. Sometimes the player isn’t the problem. Sometimes the fit just isn’t right.
That same idea sits at the center of the Bunting discussion, too. The Maple Leafs are not trying to recreate what they had before.
They’re building something different. But a player who already understands the demands of Toronto can still have value if the fit is right.
The next few weeks will show whether the Maple Leafs think they need another piece up front, or whether the new forward group already has enough balance.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Just Made A Massive Blue Line Bet Fans Will Debate
The Maple Leafs have made a major blue-line commitment, landing Darren Raddysh from the Lightning in a sign-and-trade that cost only a fifth-round pick but brought along a massive new contract. Toronto is betting big on a defenseman whose value has surged because of his offense, especially the way he can help drive a power play, and analyst Darren Pang is among those who see the price as justified by what Raddysh can bring.
Still, this is the kind of move that will be debated for a while in Toronto because the upside comes with real risk. Raddysh is being asked to justify one of the biggest commitments the Leafs have made on the back end, and if his recent surge proves real, the deal could look smart quickly, but if his game cools off, the scrutiny will arrive just as fast. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Cap Squeeze Could Claim A Useful Veteran Before Camp
Training camp has not even opened, and the Maple Leafs are already staring at one of those roster puzzles that can shape the whole bottom half of the lineup. Jack Roslovic looks like the leading candidate to skate with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, which would give Toronto a more offensively tilted look up top, while the rest of the forward group still needs to be sorted out with roles, fit and cap space all pulling in different directions.
The squeeze is most obvious around the fourth line, where Dakota Joshua and Steven Lorentz are both in the mix for a spot that may come down to more than just camp performance. Joshuas $3.25 million cap hit, Lorentzs $1.35 million figure and Torontos 49-of-50 contract slots all add pressure to a decision the club would rather have settled before the first puck drop. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have Found A Cheaper Answer To Their Center Problem
The Maple Leafs have spent plenty of time looking for help down the middle, and Morgan Frost has surfaced as a name worth watching. Calgary is in a rebuild and appears willing to consider moving the center, who is entering the final year of his contract, which naturally puts Toronto in the conversation for a player who could fit as a mid-six option and give the lineup a little more flexibility around John Tavares and Auston Matthews.
For the Leafs, the appeal goes beyond the position itself. Frosts age and contract situation make him the kind of piece a contender can evaluate without paying full price for a long-term fix, while the Flames would likely be looking for younger assets in return. That is where Torontos prospect pool comes into play, with names such as William Villeneuve, Miroslav Holinka and Jacob Quillan fitting the type of package Calgary could ask about as the Leafs weigh whether this is the sort of move that can help now without closing off future options. [Read more 🡒]