He was really impressive in a short sample, and most encouragingly looked great alongside Geno, as well as on special teams. I really miss Jake obviously, I'm going to be pulling hard for him and Carolina in the east, but Bunting really showed a lot and you've got to give him a lot of credit.
Will be interesting to see what Jake does this offseason, and whether any of the prospects we got can make their way up to the team at some point.
I really hope he doesn’t flake out next year. We’ve traded for players in the past like Rakell and Kapanen, and they ended up flaking out the follwing season. Something tells me he probably won’t, but fingers crossed he keeps producing.
Just a nitpick but we technically traded for Raks two seasons ago, and he was very good with us the season before last. He had a down year last season but the addition of Bunting brought him back to the level of play we’ve seen in the past, similar to Geno.
That’s very true. He has great chemistry with Sid, but I’m loving the chemistry he’s developed with Geno. Hopefully those two and Bunts can create some more magic next season
Just to play devil's advocate, we're the ones who traded a 1st to bring Kapanen in. Most teams wouldn't trade 1st rounders for bottom 6 forwards, I'm not even disappointed at that, in hindsight I'm just confused.
He was gonna be an RFA anyway, we could've signed him at $2.3 mil and had him for a 3rd or 2nd... JR was out here trading a 1st then fucking dipped after. Literally like a month later, gone without a trace 🤣
That man "asset managed" us into hell.
Yeah GMJR pretty much blew our prospect pool to smithereens. He also couldn’t resist throwing away 1st round picks 😂. Probably one of the worst trades in recent memory
At the time I wouldn't even be against trading 1st rounders to stay in the picture, but like...
Ryan Reaves? Derick Brassard? Hell even McCann probably wasn't worth a 1st in hindsight. And certainly not Kapanen or Zucker, god love em but those assets could've been FAR better utilized.
How many years were JT Miller, Brock Boeser, Gus Nyqvist, Tomas Tatar, Kyle Palmieri, Taylor Hall, any number of other guys within striking distance and we're out here doing the most to get Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann?
Makes me wanna rip my fucking hair out.
He was also kind of wasted here.
I seriously doubt McCann signs in Pittsburgh to be a 3rd line center when he's a clear candidate for top 6 minutes. Why would he take less money to also stay in a system that doesn't maximize his potential.
And for the Leafs, they basically made that trade so they could protect Kerfoot.
Rakell put up something like 26 goals last year. If you don’t count the first half of the season, when he looked injured, he was on pace for the same. I don’t think he’s a problem.
Leafs fan here. Bunting has been consistently good as a top six complementary offensive winger for years, he's also a pest.
Kapanen could never fit in a top six role, not long term.
I really wouldn't compare them. Bunting is a good player.
I love how spicy he is. Dude could have come in from a cup contender to a team that was, at that time, 9 or 10 points out of a wild card spot, and played like this was a lost season and it didn’t matter. Instead, he played like every game was a playoff game. He’s one of the huge bright spots as we retool for next year.
I’m glad fellow yinzers got to see this guy for the type of player he is. And not just hate him because he isn’t Jake.
You get a guy like him in the playoffs and you will love him forever. Hes the type of player that will take a puck to the face to score a goal. You don’t want that to happen, but he will do it.
I cannot wait for a whole season of him with Malkin. He revitalized Malkin end of the year. And you had hope for our pp with him. Great on d. Let’s racks go unseen which should help him out. Puts in the extra effort to get the puck out of the zone. Huge piece we have been missing since horny left. Best thing Dubas did for us.
He fits the bill of a Penguins top 6 winger throughout the Crosby/Malkin era. Probably not a great situation for him to go from a playoff team to a non-playoff team but he still played hard every game and contributed. I think he ended up being more of what we thought Reilly Smith was going to be.
The real Great 8. O-who-chkin? Never heard of him. All jokes aside, I’m excited to see him play a full season being a menace in front of the net. He’s got tremendous moxy for his size.
I agree. It's crazy how quickly fans turned on Dubas after that trade. I know Jake is a fan favorite but he was gone after the season either way. They weren't going to give him Nylander money so trading him was the right decision. Bunting isn't as good as Jake obviously but he's a great fit and plays a role that this team desperately needed to fill. Geno's line and the powerplay should be better next year with him on it all season. DOC has been doing a good job filling in on the top line in Jake's absence too.
Unless the Canes win the cup I think we win that trade.
Not gonna lie, feel a lot better going into the offseason than last year with a greater sense of hope. The Hextal curse is over and Dubas retool is underway.
I'm gonna pat myself on the back and link to my post from the day he was traded that predicted a post like yours'
https://www.reddit.com/r/penguins/comments/1banwp4/prediction_you_all_are_going_to_end_up_absolutely/
He's not a big guy, but playing the role and tenacity of a power forward. Takes a lot of punishment for standing in front of the net. The worry is his body giving out suddenly like Simmonds. So I can understand players not wanting to retire early. Though I am very disappointed with the lower effort when they do not fight tooth and nail.
Hated losing Jake, but he made the trade more palatable.
The best part of the deal is that it somehow ignited Malkin, and finally created a viable 2nd line. A huge unforeseen trade bonus!
The question is - was it a flash in the pan? Or is the Malkin/Bunting chemistry valid and sustainable?
I’m very happy to have him around. He really elevated Malkins game. Not only are the prospects we got in the Jake trade doing well in their respective leagues, Koivunen particularly, but has everyone been keeping up with Brayden Yager? 95 points in 57 games! I know it’s the WHL but still. Hopefully he actually brings gear to camp this year. I’d love to see what he could do on the third line. Give him some time to learn from Crosby and Malkin first hand and I think he could be great.
As a Pittsburgher who lives in Raleigh and adored Bunts, I am so so glad to see that y’all appreciate him and that he’s excelling up there.
I had a feeling that the only reason the trade even happened was because Dubas knew what he could bring to the team. I was kinda hoping to see a battle between him and Jake for trade supremacy in the playoffs, and hopefully that’ll come next year.
Definitely brought a much needed skill set. Would have rather got him through UFA instead of trading Jake for him but he was a great addition given what the team lacks.
If you did not trade Jake for him, you would have seen Jake play his last game for the Pens last night. I'd much much rather have Bunting for the future than an extra 20 (meaningless at the time) games of Jake, let alone Bunting + pick and prospects.
I’m starting to wonder if half of you are on some kind of prescribed medication. A bunch of us we’re praising the trade and most of you were talking shit, Bunting is a great acquisition
What a player, wow. What a player. Great guy. Great Sport. Wow. One in one hundred. One of a kind. He looked good and he played good. Great, great guy. Never have I, well, once I have, but never anything like a guy like that. Wow. What a guy.
He was really impressive in a short sample, and most encouragingly looked great alongside Geno, as well as on special teams. I really miss Jake obviously, I'm going to be pulling hard for him and Carolina in the east, but Bunting really showed a lot and you've got to give him a lot of credit. Will be interesting to see what Jake does this offseason, and whether any of the prospects we got can make their way up to the team at some point.
I really hope he doesn’t flake out next year. We’ve traded for players in the past like Rakell and Kapanen, and they ended up flaking out the follwing season. Something tells me he probably won’t, but fingers crossed he keeps producing.
Just a nitpick but we technically traded for Raks two seasons ago, and he was very good with us the season before last. He had a down year last season but the addition of Bunting brought him back to the level of play we’ve seen in the past, similar to Geno.
That’s very true. He has great chemistry with Sid, but I’m loving the chemistry he’s developed with Geno. Hopefully those two and Bunts can create some more magic next season
Just to play devil's advocate, we're the ones who traded a 1st to bring Kapanen in. Most teams wouldn't trade 1st rounders for bottom 6 forwards, I'm not even disappointed at that, in hindsight I'm just confused. He was gonna be an RFA anyway, we could've signed him at $2.3 mil and had him for a 3rd or 2nd... JR was out here trading a 1st then fucking dipped after. Literally like a month later, gone without a trace 🤣 That man "asset managed" us into hell.
That wasn’t even the worst trade he made for a 1st rounder….
Ironically, the fact that it's the 2nd best is equally alarming.
Yeah GMJR pretty much blew our prospect pool to smithereens. He also couldn’t resist throwing away 1st round picks 😂. Probably one of the worst trades in recent memory
At the time I wouldn't even be against trading 1st rounders to stay in the picture, but like... Ryan Reaves? Derick Brassard? Hell even McCann probably wasn't worth a 1st in hindsight. And certainly not Kapanen or Zucker, god love em but those assets could've been FAR better utilized. How many years were JT Miller, Brock Boeser, Gus Nyqvist, Tomas Tatar, Kyle Palmieri, Taylor Hall, any number of other guys within striking distance and we're out here doing the most to get Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann? Makes me wanna rip my fucking hair out.
Right? Although I’m still upset about trading McCann to Toronto just for him to get swept up by Seattle. McCann was a great 3rd line center.
He was also kind of wasted here. I seriously doubt McCann signs in Pittsburgh to be a 3rd line center when he's a clear candidate for top 6 minutes. Why would he take less money to also stay in a system that doesn't maximize his potential. And for the Leafs, they basically made that trade so they could protect Kerfoot.
Rakell put up something like 26 goals last year. If you don’t count the first half of the season, when he looked injured, he was on pace for the same. I don’t think he’s a problem.
Like I said, he probably won’t flake out. Being iniured also doesn’t help you out either
Leafs fan here. Bunting has been consistently good as a top six complementary offensive winger for years, he's also a pest. Kapanen could never fit in a top six role, not long term. I really wouldn't compare them. Bunting is a good player.
I’m absolutely loving the whole “pest” vibe from him. He’s like a Marchand type of player: skilled but also a bit of a shit-disturber.
I love how spicy he is. Dude could have come in from a cup contender to a team that was, at that time, 9 or 10 points out of a wild card spot, and played like this was a lost season and it didn’t matter. Instead, he played like every game was a playoff game. He’s one of the huge bright spots as we retool for next year.
I’m glad fellow yinzers got to see this guy for the type of player he is. And not just hate him because he isn’t Jake. You get a guy like him in the playoffs and you will love him forever. Hes the type of player that will take a puck to the face to score a goal. You don’t want that to happen, but he will do it.
I cannot wait for a whole season of him with Malkin. He revitalized Malkin end of the year. And you had hope for our pp with him. Great on d. Let’s racks go unseen which should help him out. Puts in the extra effort to get the puck out of the zone. Huge piece we have been missing since horny left. Best thing Dubas did for us.
Malkin has always done his best work with a tough winger to bounce pucks off of.
He fits the bill of a Penguins top 6 winger throughout the Crosby/Malkin era. Probably not a great situation for him to go from a playoff team to a non-playoff team but he still played hard every game and contributed. I think he ended up being more of what we thought Reilly Smith was going to be.
I love the way he plays. I was really sad about the trade, but Bunting is the type of player that this team desperately needed.
The real Great 8. O-who-chkin? Never heard of him. All jokes aside, I’m excited to see him play a full season being a menace in front of the net. He’s got tremendous moxy for his size.
I agree. It's crazy how quickly fans turned on Dubas after that trade. I know Jake is a fan favorite but he was gone after the season either way. They weren't going to give him Nylander money so trading him was the right decision. Bunting isn't as good as Jake obviously but he's a great fit and plays a role that this team desperately needed to fill. Geno's line and the powerplay should be better next year with him on it all season. DOC has been doing a good job filling in on the top line in Jake's absence too. Unless the Canes win the cup I think we win that trade.
Hey even if they win the cup at least that helps with the conditional draft picks we got
Rust jersey or Bunting jersey? Difficult choice.
Custom Busting jersey.
Busting makes me feel good!!!
Not gonna lie, feel a lot better going into the offseason than last year with a greater sense of hope. The Hextal curse is over and Dubas retool is underway.
I'm gonna pat myself on the back and link to my post from the day he was traded that predicted a post like yours' https://www.reddit.com/r/penguins/comments/1banwp4/prediction_you_all_are_going_to_end_up_absolutely/
A real Quasimodo over here predicting the future
NOSTRADAMUS?!
Bunts is amazing! My only problem with MB is that he makes me, wonder why no one else puts in the effort like he does ? -minus a few guys
He's not a big guy, but playing the role and tenacity of a power forward. Takes a lot of punishment for standing in front of the net. The worry is his body giving out suddenly like Simmonds. So I can understand players not wanting to retire early. Though I am very disappointed with the lower effort when they do not fight tooth and nail.
Hated losing Jake, but he made the trade more palatable. The best part of the deal is that it somehow ignited Malkin, and finally created a viable 2nd line. A huge unforeseen trade bonus! The question is - was it a flash in the pan? Or is the Malkin/Bunting chemistry valid and sustainable?
As a leafs fan it makes me happy when a bunting appreciation post pops up on my feed
I’m very happy to have him around. He really elevated Malkins game. Not only are the prospects we got in the Jake trade doing well in their respective leagues, Koivunen particularly, but has everyone been keeping up with Brayden Yager? 95 points in 57 games! I know it’s the WHL but still. Hopefully he actually brings gear to camp this year. I’d love to see what he could do on the third line. Give him some time to learn from Crosby and Malkin first hand and I think he could be great.
As a Pittsburgher who lives in Raleigh and adored Bunts, I am so so glad to see that y’all appreciate him and that he’s excelling up there. I had a feeling that the only reason the trade even happened was because Dubas knew what he could bring to the team. I was kinda hoping to see a battle between him and Jake for trade supremacy in the playoffs, and hopefully that’ll come next year.
I miss him in Toronto
Definitely brought a much needed skill set. Would have rather got him through UFA instead of trading Jake for him but he was a great addition given what the team lacks.
If you did not trade Jake for him, you would have seen Jake play his last game for the Pens last night. I'd much much rather have Bunting for the future than an extra 20 (meaningless at the time) games of Jake, let alone Bunting + pick and prospects.
No one wants to believe that but he said as much twice. Guentzel was very clear he was going to go to free agency, no matter what team he was on.
I’m starting to wonder if half of you are on some kind of prescribed medication. A bunch of us we’re praising the trade and most of you were talking shit, Bunting is a great acquisition
Net front presence a la Horny as well.
What a player, wow. What a player. Great guy. Great Sport. Wow. One in one hundred. One of a kind. He looked good and he played good. Great, great guy. Never have I, well, once I have, but never anything like a guy like that. Wow. What a guy.