Former Maple Leaf Michael Bunting buried by Toronto defenseman for lack of respect on the ice
Simon Benoit and former Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting came together in Toronto's lastest game, and it's safe to say that Benoit isn't impressed with him.
The NHL is full of pests like Michael Bunting, and when he's on your team, fans absolutely love him, but playing against him, it's hard for fans and opposing players not to hate him. On Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins forward clashed with his former team the Toronto Maple Leafs, and during the matchup, he came head-to-head with Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit.
Unsurprisingly, Bunting's style of play was a major topic after the game, especially as he dived and tried to get the referee's call when Benoit seemingly cross checked him to the face.
As you can see in the video, absolutely no contact was made to the face by Benoit, but with Bunting back up to his old tricks, it brought the two face-to-face several times throughout the game.
After the Maple Leafs victory, Benoit was asked about Bunting, and he didn't hold back at all, making sure to publicly call out the Penguins forward for being a diver.
These two Eastern Conference powerhouses will do battle several more times in 2024/25, and with the history between Kyle Dubas, Michael Bunting and so many other factors, it's safe to say that things could get personal. While Bunting is considered a diver by many opposing fans, he's also tough as nails, and with so many players in Toronto's lineup ready to get physical, this could become a very intriguing storyline throughout the year.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 13 | 346 ANSWERS Former Maple Leaf Michael Bunting buried by Toronto defenseman for lack of respect on the ice Does Michael Bunting deservedly have a reputation around the NHL as a diver? | ||
| Yes | 316 | 91.3 % |
| No | 30 | 8.7 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||