Michael Bunting

Lore & Background

The Kraken's 2021–22 season was less about individual stardom and more about collective identity—a brand-new franchise assembling its culture game by game. In that environment, depth forwards like Michael Bunting filled an essential, often underappreciated role: filling out the lineup, bringing energy on the penalty kill, and giving the coaching staff flexible options in a 60-game shortened season. Bunting's presence on that inaugural roster meant he was part of the first group of Kraken to skate into Climate Pledge Arena and hear the crowd for the first time.

In the broader tapestry of Kraken history, Bunting belongs to the 'founding-era' cohort—players whose names appear on the very first team sheets, the first media-day photos, the first season tickets sold. For a fan community still young and hungry for lore, even a brief stint as a bottom-six winger becomes a small thread in the story of how Seattle learned to be an NHL city.

Bunting's Canadian background and left-wing skill set fit the profile of a two-way depth player: not a headline scorer, but a reliable hand in the corner, a body-checker on the forecheck, and a steady presence in the huddle when the team needed a voice from the bench.

In Their Own Story

The practice ice at Climate Pledge Arena still smelled faintly of fresh paint in October 2021. Bunting laced his skates in the far corner of the bench, watching the top lines run their passing drills under the arena's low, humming lights. A puck skidded past his skate and rolled into the boards. He picked it up, tapped it back into play without looking, and felt the small, electric hum of a new team finding its rhythm. No one was filming. No one was writing about it. But somewhere in the rafters, a season-ticket holder with a hand-painted 'KRAKEN' banner was watching, and that was enough. That was the whole point of being here—the first year, the first ice, the first time Seattle's name was in the NHL standings. Bunting dropped his stick, grabbed a fresh one, and skated back into the drill.

Reader's Guide

Michael Bunting joined the Seattle Kraken for their inaugural 2021–22 NHL season as a Canadian left winger filling a depth-forward role. In a shortened 56-game inaugural schedule, the Kraken's coaching staff relied on a deep, flexible roster, and Bunting was part of that bottom-six group providing energy, penalty-kill minutes, and reliable two-way play.

His background as a Canadian left winger suited the Kraken's early identity: a team built around speed, physicality, and a Pacific-Northwest grit that the coaching staff emphasized from day one. Bunting's contributions were not headline-grabbing—no career-high goal streaks, no playoff heroics—but they were the connective tissue that let the top lines play freely.

Culturally, Bunting represents the 'founding-era' Kraken: the players whose names appear on the first team sheets, the first media-day rosters, and the first season's box scores. For the fan community still building its mythology around the franchise, these depth players are the quiet architects of the team's early character.

His tenure was brief, but in the context of a brand-new franchise, every game carried the weight of 'firsts,' and Bunting was part of writing those first chapters.

Did You Know?

• Bunting was part of the Kraken's very first NHL roster in 2021–22, meaning his name appears in the franchise's inaugural-season records.
• As a Canadian left winger, he fit the profile of a two-way depth player the Kraken's early coaching staff valued for penalty-kill and forecheck roles.
• The 2021–22 season was the Kraken's first in NHL history, so every player on that roster—including depth forwards—became part of the franchise's founding narrative.
• Bunting's role as a bottom-six forward meant he was often the player filling out the lineup in tight games, a critical but low-profile responsibility in a new team's season.