A few weeks ago, Michael Bunting awoke in the middle of the night to something that didn’t feel quite right. Five hours later, he was having surgery - an appendectomy that subsequently took him out of the lineup as a member of the Penguins.
Little did he know, his last game in Pittsburgh had already come and gone.
While recovering from his ailment, Bunting was dealt to Nashville on March 5 - along with a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft - in exchange for now-former Predators Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn.
On Monday, after a week in California and a Preds debut that included a pair of games in Anaheim and Los Angeles, Bunting finally practiced at Centennial Sportsplex in his new city, fully recovered and ready to show why he was a coveted player in Nashville.
“To be honest, I wasn't expecting to be traded at all,” Bunting said. “It came at a complete shock. I loved my time in Pittsburgh. I absolutely loved it. I loved the guys there, the whole staff. Everything about Pittsburgh was great to me, but you know what? That's the business side of it. It kind of sucks moving on from friends there, but hearing [I was being traded to] Nashville, I was pretty excited.
“Obviously, it’s a great city [to visit] on the road. It's a lot of fun, and the fans are great. It’s a fun rink to play in front of, so I'm excited for tomorrow - to be on the good side this time. The players in this room are some exceptional players, and [I’m excited] just to be able to play with them and keep building off of that. So, I'm looking forward to this year and next.”
Bunting does indeed have another season on his current contract, and following his acquisition two weeks ago, Predators General Manager Barry Trotz said Bunting was the type of player that might take Nashville out of the free agency market a bit this summer simply because of the desire to acquire a forward of his nature, one way or another.
Those attributes include a winger who goes to the net front, isn't afraid to mix things up with the opposition and will do whatever it takes to put the puck in the net.
Bunting’s skill has been on display previously in his career, including his rookie season as a member of the Maple Leafs during the 2021-22 campaign when he recorded 23 goals and 63 points, good enough to earn a spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team. He made his debut in Arizona, and after establishing himself in Toronto, the Scarborough, Ont., native has made stops in Carolina and Pittsburgh as well.
Now, he’s set to show his new club his capabilities.
“Just play my game and stick to my identity of what's made me successful in this League for the last few years,” Bunting said. “That’s going in those dirty areas, going to the front of the net and helping this team produce offensively. I feel like I've been doing that in my whole career here in the NHL, so I want to bring that and help this team going forward. I have another year on my deal, so I'm looking forward to next year as well and the future of this team.”
The Predators hope Bunting will play a significant role in the months ahead, and while this season hasn’t gone as planned for Nashville, Bunting can relate a bit after experiencing a slower beginning of his own last fall.
“The start wasn't the best for me,” Bunting said. “I don't think I've ever had a start like that in my whole career, from junior, to minors to the NHL, so that was something different. But I adjusted and just stuck to who I am and played my game that made me successful, and I ended up rolling there. I want to get back into that and help this team offensively and keep rolling. Two games are down [with the Preds], and obviously I'm coming back from an injury, so kind of get the cobwebs out and shake those off. But yeah, I'm feeling good, and I'm looking forward to just building every single day.”
Bunting gave his new teammates a taste of what to expect when he made his Predators debut last Friday in Anaheim, and Preds Alternate Captain Ryan O’Reilly, who played with Bunting in Toronto, was happy to see the forward on his side again.
“He’s always great,” O’Reilly said of Bunting. “Having played with him in Toronto, and knowing just the player he is, the intensity he plays with, I thought he did a great job. He brings a lot of life to our group, just the intensity, the way he works. It's always great to see him out there.”
“That’s great, obviously, coming from a guy like that,” Bunting said of O’Reilly’s comments. “He’s a great guy, great leader in this room, and everyone respects him and looks up to him and kind of for him to lead the way. So, it’s nice to hear those words, and it's nice to come here with a familiar face. I have a couple familiar faces that I played with in the past, and with him in Toronto, we had a great relationship. Actually, I think he was my stall mate in Toronto, so I got to know ‘Factor’ really well. He’s a great guy, and he's a lot of fun to be around.”
Bunting will get to know the rest of his teammates in time, and being on the road in California last week certainly didn’t hurt the bonding process. That, coupled with simply joining a new club and learning the ins and outs of what’s expected, is another part of the acclimation, and Bunting is becoming more comfortable by the day.
“It’s been great,” Bunting said. “The transitions are great, and the guys have been really welcoming. It's nice. Obviously, when you first come, [to] go on the road, you get to know the guys really well. So, it was really easy for me to transition to a new team. And the systems, the coaches have been great at communicating that with me and teaching me how we play here and what they expect from me. So, I think it's been pretty smooth. [I played in] those two games and try to get in the win column tomorrow [against St. Louis].”
With just 16 games to go and one month remaining in the schedule for Nashville, Bunting knows that while the Preds won’t be accomplishing their ultimate goal this season, there is still plenty to play for.
He’ll have that mindset over the coming weeks while adjusting to his new surroundings and becoming an integral part of the organization - something both sides are very much looking forward to.
“This year [for the Predators], I can't speak that much on it since I just got here, but obviously we're not in the spot that we would wish to be,” Bunting said. “I think we’ve just got to [embrace] a little adversity, and just keep playing our game, and challenge that, get over that and finish strong… [We want to] just start feeling good and start rolling. So, that's what we want to do, and you’ve just got to take it one game at a time.”
