Hurricanes reel in Bunting on 3-year, $13.5M pact

The Carolina Hurricanes signed unrestricted free-agent forward Michael Bunting to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million, the team announced Saturday.

Bunting spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a team-friendly $950,000 cap hit. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy after potting 23 goals and 63 points in 79 contests during the 2021-22 campaign.

The 27-year-old again hit the 23-goal mark this past season and tallied 49 points while appearing in all 82 games.

"He just had that extra knack, the way he plays, that's something that we definitely wanted and (coach) Rod (Brind'Amour) wanted and so that was a bonus to be able to get that type of player," Waddell said.

Bunting spent the first two seasons of his career with the Arizona Coyotes. He has 126 points in 187 career NHL contests.