Has Michael Bunting penalized his way out of Toronto?

I don’t know how much money Michael Bunting will be making next season. But more and more, it looks like it won’t be the Toronto Maple Leafs signing his paycheques.

Chances are, he’s already played his last game.

That’s the inevitable fallout after Bunting received a three-game suspension for his reckless hit-to-the-head on Erik Cernak in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bunting won’t be available to return until Game 5. That is, if there is a Game 5. But if you’re the Leafs, can you trust a player who now looks like he’s the second-coming of Nazem Kadri? With Matthew Knies replacing Bunting in the lineup for Game 2, the decision is an easy one.

Even before the suspension, bringing back Bunting was going to be difficult for a team that is up against the salary cap.

The 27-year-old, who is in the final year of a contract that carries a $950,000 cap hit, is considered one of the best bargains in the NHL. Seriously, how many players top-line wingers earn less than $1-million. It’s not a long list. But after two consecutive 20-plus goal seasons, Bunting was going to be looking for a significant raise this summer. And while the Scarborough, Ont., native likes it here and obviously loves playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the Leafs don’t have the room to bring him back at a number that makes sense for both sides.

The Game 1 suspension makes the decision to move on from Bunting that much easier.

This was always the concern with Bunting. He’s a shift-disturber. A player who lives on the edge. Like Kadri or Brad Marchand, Bunting is at his best when he’s running his mouth and getting under the skin of his opponents. But while Bunting draws more penalties than any other player, he’s also been taking a lot of penalties.

Last year, Bunting finished second only to Wayne Simmonds on the Leafs in penalty minutes. And keep in mind, Bunting doesn’t fight. This year, he led the team with 103 PIMs — 50 more than the next-highest player. That’s another way of saying that he hurts the team as much as he helps out.

In the playoffs, the pendulum is swinging a lot more one way than the other. And with Knies now as a younger and cheaper options — with quite possibly more offensive upside — it’s looking more and more like the Leafs will move on from Bunting.

The only question is whether they waited too long to make that decision.

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