Michael Bunting's next contract may be too much for Leafs to afford

The Toronto Maple Leafs have already made a major change within the organization, relieving general manager Kyle Dubas of his duties in a move by president Brendan Shanahan that's been met with plenty of scrutiny. And in the meantime, there are several Leafs players who are in need of new contracts. It goes without saying that it's just not feasible to bring back every player that helped them advance past Round 1 of the postseason for the first time since 2004.

One player who is up for a new contract is 2022 Calder Trophy nominee Michael Bunting, who has proven himself to be a key contributor to the Leafs offense - when he's in the lineup. You'll remember that he has often run afoul of the on ice officials, and was also suspended during the postseason for a questionable high hit on Tampa Bay's Erik Cernak.

Bunting scored 23 goals with 26 assists this season with the Leafs, which was the final year of the two-year, $1.9 million deal he signed. And according to Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, his next deal is projected to be considerably larger.

His next deal is projected to be a 5-year contract with an Average Annual Value of $5.25 million per year: 

Whomever the Maple Leafs hire as their next general manager will be tasked with deciding whether or not Bunting is worth this kind of money. 

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