Why Michael Bunting Is Still Unsigned Is Hard to Explain

There are still a few NHL free agents sitting out there who make you stop and wonder what everybody is seeing. Michael Bunting is one of them.

Bunting isn't going to solve all your problems. He isn't going to walk into a lineup and suddenly give a team 30 goals. And nobody is going to confuse him with a perfect two-way player. But that's not really the point. The guy has shown he can play in the NHL, score some goals, get under the opposition's skin and make himself generally unpleasant to play against. Those players usually find work.

Why Is Bunting Still Unsigned — At Least for a PTO?

Bunting's game has always been a little different. He has energy. He goes to the difficult areas. He isn't afraid to stir things up. He can play with some skill, but he also brings that irritating quality that every team likes to have and every opponent hates to deal with. That becomes particularly interesting when the playoffs arrive.

Regular-season hockey can make certain players look more valuable than they really are. The playoffs can do the opposite. Suddenly, the game gets tighter, space disappears, and every inch of ice becomes a fight. A player who can create a little chaos, win a battle along the boards and make an opposing defenceman uncomfortable can become surprisingly useful. Bunting has some of that in his game.

There is also the matter of his recent production. Last season wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, and that surely explains why he hasn't been snapped up. But this is where the situation gets interesting. NHL teams don't need every player on their roster to be a star. They need players who can fill a role.

Bunting can fill a role many teams want filled.

Maybe teams are waiting to see what happens with their rosters in training camp. Maybe they're looking at younger players and hoping one of them grabs the job. Maybe Bunting's price is still higher than teams want to pay.

But as the summer disappears and training camps get closer, the question becomes harder to ignore. Why is Michael Bunting still available? At some point, the risk isn't signing him. The risk might be watching somebody else sign him first.

And if that somebody happens to meet him in a playoff series next spring, there may be a few teams wishing they had answered the question a little differently.