Michael Bunting is as close as the Leafs currently have to a modern day Darcy Tucker. He's a solid player, an agitator, and he never, ever stops chirping. Bunting may lack Tucker's propensity for violence, but the two definitely share more similarities than they do differences.
On Tuesday, Bunting was involved in a scrum during the Leafs' dominating win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bunting had been slashed by Mikhail Sergachev, and Mitch Marner had been decked from behind by Pierre Èdouard Bellemare just before the buzzer to end the first period. The slash earned Sergachev a $5,000 fine, Bellemaire got off scot free.
During the scrum following the Bellemare hit on Marner, Bunting was being escorted off the ice by linesman Dan Kelly, who Marlies fans will remember as the guy who was suspended 10 games for a high hit on Adreas Johnsson in the 2016 AHL playoffs. Kelly was spotted shoving Bunting through the gate, nearly sending the Leafs forward tumbling backwards as his skates hit the rubber flooring.
Tucker, now simply a fan of the Leafs, saw the incident and decided to share his own experience with referee brutality on his Instagram story. He posted a video from his days with the Tampa Bay Lightning in which he was essentially tossed into the penalty box by a referee. Tucker made sure to tag Bunting, along with the caption "hey, it happens."
