Life has thrown new Nashville Predators forward Michael Bunting for several loops over the last few weeks.
Loops he never anticipated but still made it out despite being stymied in the process.
Bunting woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks ago and it happened to be appendicitis. Then a few days later while on injured reserve he was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to Nashville for Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn.
“That came out of nowhere. It woke me up in the middle of the night and something felt off,” Bunting said. “Five hours later I was getting surgery so it happened quick and not expecting but I feel great now. The trainers have been great with me back in Pittsburgh and here helping me get back to fully healthy.”
All Bunting could do was rest as he recovered and waited to be cleared for on-ice exercise again. In the meantime, general manager Barry Trotz and the coaching staff caught up with him and expressed what their expectations are of him.
“Play my game and stick to my identity in what’s made me successful in this league for the last few years which is going to those dirty areas and helping this team produce offensively,” Bunting said. “I feel like I’ve been doing that in my whole career in the NHL. I want to help this team more. I have another year on my deal so I’m looking forward to next year as well and the future of this team.”
Bunting said he didn’t expect to be traded by the Penguins at all as the deadline came up. It was a complete shock to the Bunting who is now playing on his fifth NHL team.
“That’s a shock, that’s the business side of it and it kind of sucks moving on from friends there but hearing it was Nashville I was excited knowing it’s a great city,” Bunting said. “It’s a fun rink to play in so I’m excited for tomorrow and to be on the good side this time.”
Looking back at the start of the season, Bunting got off to a slow start scoring six points in 20 games. Nonetheless, he put that behind him and stuck to what he’s always done best. All he needed to do was make a few adjustments.
The next 20 games he scored 16 points with nine of those coming on the powerplay. Even as of now he still leads the Penguins with nine powerplay goals this season.
“The start wasn’t the best for me. I don’t think I’ve had a start like that in my whole career from junior to minors and the NHL,” Bunting said. “I adjusted and stuck to who I am and played my game that made me successful. I want to get back into that here and help this team offensively and keep rolling here. Two games are down and I’m coming back from injury so just shaking the cobwebs off but I’m feeling good and building every day.”
Bunting said an advantage of joining the team when he did was to go out on the road to get to know some of his new teammates. He already knew Ryan O’Reilly from his time in Toronto and then Brady Skjei from his stint in Carolina.
That allowed him to get a sense of what Nashville was about on and off the ice and understand how he can add to it. The welcoming presence from the coaching staff and players have made it easier for Bunting.
Head coach Andrew Brunette has been happy with Bunting’s play in his first two games with Nashville and nothing has come as a shock to him.
“No, I think we saw in flashes the kind of player he is and can be,” Brunette said. “For us, he’s a little bit of a different profile, he’s a little greasy around the net especially in that first game [at Anaheim] where he’s constantly around the blue paint. He’s got a good stick and offensive instincts. Looking forward to seeing more of him, and getting to know him a little better.”
After Brunette addressed the team at center ice to end practice on Monday he spoke more with Bunting before moving into his first gameday in Nashville.
Bunting has been seen on the powerplay as well and hopes to find a rhythm regardless of the situation. He’s currently on a 12-game drought of scoring a powerplay goal.
From Dec. 23-29, he scored on the man advantage in three consecutive games. He’ll aim to get back on the board against the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night as he’s donning gold for the first time in Bridgestone Arena.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of Nashville Predators
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