Pestering play of Penguins' Michael Bunting easing transition from Carolina

It has not taken long for new Pittsburgh Penguins winger Michael Bunting to endear himself to his teammates.

Several factors have aided in a successful transition from the Carolina Hurricanes.

For starters, he’s producing at an acceptable rate.

Bunting has three goals with four assists in 12 games since being acquired March 7 as part of the return package from the Hurricanes for star forward Jake Guentzel.

But, perhaps more important in the eyes of his new teammates, are instances such as Thursday night vs. Columbus, when Bunting literally leaped into an on-ice kerfuffle in defense of linemate Rickard Rakell, who was being shoved around by several Blue Jackets players.

Netminder Daniil Tarasov had just frozen a puck with Rakell nearby, and Columbus seemed to take exception to his presence.

Once trouble began brewing, Bunting wasted no time coming to Rakell’s aid.

Michael Bunting saw a scrum and instantly had FOMO pic.twitter.com/MzStuxInNe

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 29, 2024

One could be forgiven for assuming there might be some awkwardness when Bunting arrived in Pittsburgh.

After all, Guentzel was respected in the Penguins’ locker room and had built strong ties with teammates over his eight years in Pittsburgh.

But Bunting has settled in quickly.

“It’s been great. The guys have been really welcoming,” Bunting said. “It’s a close group in here, and they welcomed me with open arms. I’m starting to get more comfortable every single game playing here, freeing up my game and helping this team win. Looking forward to continuing my career here.”

After touching down in Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old Bunting initially occupied Guentzel’s former position — left wing on Sidney Crosby’s first line — but coach Mike Sullivan since has deployed him as a winger next to Evgeni Malkin and Rakell on the second line, where he has played eight games.

Bunting has used those contests to get a feel for his linemates.

“I think we mesh really well,” Bunting said. “Both of those guys like to carry the puck and create chances. (Rakell) gets to the soft areas and uses his shot, and (Malkin) likes the puck on his stick. I feel like I can get in there on the forecheck, cause chaos, turn it over for them so they can start playing. And then I just go to the front of the net, go to my home and work my game. I feel like we’ve been complementing each other a lot.”

Bunting’s past linemates included Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitchell Marner during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2021-23.

His best offensive years came during those two seasons, when he scored 23 goals in back-to-back campaigns.

“He’s good around the net and does a good job in the neutral zone to create space,” Rakell said. “You can tell that he’s played with really good players. He’s great at give-and-go and just opening up space and jumping into scoring areas. I really like that about him.”

Bunting’s personal brand of playing, highlighted by being a pest, crashing the net and hunting for rebounds, has thus far borne fruit.

Michael Bunting with number 16 on the year!@penguins | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/UZJB33SXMT

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) March 23, 2024

“I definitely feel like him driving and being around the net has created more slot chances for us,” Rakell said. “It might not be the first (shot), but he opens up space behind him for (Malkin) to be in the slot or me being in the slot, or him being in the slot. I feel like that’s an element where we definitely have more scoring chances in the slot area than we’ve had earlier this year.”

Sullivan also has promptly inserted Bunting onto the Penguins’ power play, where he has a pair of assists while offering a net-front presence.

“I’ve likened him to Patric Hornqvist’s game,” Sullivan said. “He has a similar attribute in the sense that he’s good at the blue paint, he’s willing to go there, he’s willing to take face wash or a glove in the face or a cross-check to bang in a rebound or get an opportunity for a deflection, things of that nature. That’s where a lot of goals are scored in this league. I think he’s a guy that thrives in that area.”

While Bunting has continued to show up on the scoresheet, he has a plus/minus of minus-9 since arriving in Pittsburgh, which is the worst among all Penguins forwards.

Combined with the 60 games he played in a Hurricanes uniform, Bunting is minus-24 on the year.

Sullivan believes there is more to unlock within Bunting’s game in the defensive zone.

“I think, defensively, there’s room for growth there without a doubt,” Sullivan said. “A lot of it is just recognition skills and in details, and we work with all of our guys every day on that stuff. Having said that, I don’t think he’s a guy that’s a terrible defensive player; I’m not suggesting that at all. I think he’s a solid two-way player that has opportunity for growth on both sides of the puck.”

In Saturday’s loss to Columbus, Bunting was limited to 9 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time and left the game early in the third period because of illness.

With the Penguins having a scheduled off day Sunday, his availability for Monday’s contest at the New York Rangers is unknown.

Since he became an established NHLer ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, Bunting has missed just three regular-season games over the past three years, the most recent of which was when Carolina held him out of a contest for trade-related reasons.