Michael Bunting's illegal hit shows Maple Leafs are prone to same old mistakes

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs were eager to show that they’re a different team from the six previous iterations that flamed out of the opening round, Michael Bunting’s illegal hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Erik Cernak in Game 1 shows they’re still prone to the same old mistakes.

Bunting was assessed a match penalty after making contact with Cernak’s head in the second period. He protested to no avail, while Cernak stayed down on the ice before leaving the game. The 27-year-old is meeting with the Department of Player Safety and it’s entirely possible he’ll earn a multi-game suspension for this incident.

It’s clear that Bunting wasn’t trying to injure Cernak, but intent certainly doesn’t matter in the postseason, not when the stakes are so high for a Maple Leafs group that went all-in in pursuit of the Stanley Cup, or at least a victory over the Lightning.

“I don’t know. I’ll give you the company line of, ‘The league will look at that,’ but, for me, it seems to check a whole bunch of boxes,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told reporters post-game.

“Bunts, to me, is trying to win the line and set himself up to win a race for the puck. It got away from him and their guy wasn't expecting it,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe offered instead.

Bunting surely had to be aware of how he was going to be officiated. For nearly two months, Bunting has tried his best to stay out of scrums and post-whistle extracurriculars, knowing there’s a perception among referees that he’s trying to instigate the opponent. This notion also gained some legs when Keefe suggested Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas would speak to the league about the perception of Bunting being mistreated by officials on the ice.

Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly addressed whether there was an overcorrection effect towards Bunting, when I told him that he was the NHL leader in penalties drawn at 5-on-5.

“Is he? Again, I think he’s just involved in more of those situations than most people,” Rielly told Yahoo Sports Canada.

“Whether he’s just taking penalties or whether he’s drawing them. Judging by the fact that he’s up there in that (category) he’s in that scenario more than a lot of other guys, which is part of who he is and part of his game. I don’t think it’s an overcorrection or not, I just think he’s at the scene of the crime very often so therefore whether he’s guilty by association or whatever, he’s involved a lot.”

If Bunting had accrued any good will with the league’s referees for making a concerted effort to stay out of trouble on the ice, it’s been squandered now. Toronto is preparing as if Bunting will be suspended imminently, and playing on the coveted wing next to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, he’s almost certainly earned a demotion if and when he returns to action.

Compounding matters, the Maple Leafs have seen this exact scenario play out in the past with Nazem Kadri, who eventually was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Kadri, who earned several suspensions prior to his postseason infractions, was issued a three-game suspension during the 2018 first-round series against the Boston Bruins for an illegal hit on Tommy Wingels. Toronto lost the series in seven games. The following year, Kadri was suspended for the duration of the first round for an illegal hit on Jake DeBrusk and once again, the Maple Leafs were upended by the Bruins in seven games.

Toronto decided enough was enough and, despite Kadri’s immense talent, traded him to the Avalanche for a package centered around Tyson Barrie, a deal that aged badly for the franchise, but a move born out of necessity. It’s also worth noting that Kadri was a superior player to Bunting and thereby, earned more leeway internally. It’s possible that the Maple Leafs decided that Bunting isn’t worth retaining this summer, as he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent.

Bunting’s infraction has forced the Maple Leafs’ hand and several adjustments have been made as his potential absence creates a domino effect. Calle Jarnkrok — who excelled on this line in March — is now partnered with Matthews and Marner again after scoring an immaterial goal in the third period of Game 1.

Ryan O’Reilly, who was primarily partnered with William Nylander and John Tavares in Game 1, drops down to the third line alongside Noel Acciari and top prospect Matthew Knies. Is Knies ready for action? He showed flashes of future stardom in an extremely limited sample at the end of the regular season, but playing against Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli is a massive step up from the NCAA game.

Alexander Kerfoot gets a promotion onto the line with Nylander and Tavares, where his speed, puck retrieval and defensive awareness are plus-assets for the two offensive stars, while Toronto’s fourth line of Zach Aston-Reese, David Kampf and Sam Lafferty remains untouched. And if the adjustments work, all the credit will go to Keefe for maintaining a flexible lineup throughout the regular season in preparation for this matchup against the Lightning. Through the opening game, Keefe was outsmarted by Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, who helped lull his opponent into a false sense of security, while winning the proverbial chess match with his in-game tinkering.

Bunting badly wants to win with the Maple Leafs and he’s been a major component of the team over the past two years. The playoffs create a harsh reality, and despite the Maple Leafs doing everything they can to get the requisite experience, skill, toughness and goaltending to win it all, Bunting’s Game 1 hit is proof that until proven otherwise, they’re a new team prone to the same old mistakes.