Back when the trade was first announced, the one that sent Jake Guentzel to Carolina, a lot of people were not happy with the return. They were underwhelmed by the prospects coming back in the deal (who were ranked 6th, 7th, and 9th in the organization), and they were unhappy with the roster player coming back in the deal: Michael Bunting.

Much of the disappointment coming from the fanbase wasn’t because of Bunting, but since he was the only part of the deal that would see NHL time immediately, he got the brunt of the dissatisfaction with the work Kyle Dubas did at the trade deadline.

Flash forward to now, and you have fans clamoring to buy Bunting’s jersey as the team pulls out all the stops on a last-ditch playoff bid.

How did Bunting endear himself to Pittsburgh so fast?

This was always possible for Bunting. A lot of Penguins fans probably did not have the chance to watch Bunting ever before he dawned a black and yellow sweater, but if you did, you saw the kind of game he played: one that the Penguins lacked.

Bunting is a pest in the best way possible. He parks himself in front of the net when he needs to, ready to deflect a puck or collect a rebound. He isn’t afraid to get chippy with the opponent (and he usually draws some penalties doing it), and he adds a physical presence as well that a lot of Penguins nowadays don’t.

In the morning after the trade, I wrote an opinion that while the Guentzel trade wasn’t great for the Penguins, it wasn’t the fleece fans claimed it to be. For Bunting’s part, I wrote this:

There’s also Michael Bunting, who is on an expensive contract, but if he can rekindle what he did in Toronto the last two seasons, I think fans will come to like him. Bunting is a sandpaper, gritty player who also possesses an ability to produce offense. The 28-year old had 36 points in 60 games with the Hurricanes this season.

The Penguins could use some depth scoring like that, and if you’re looking for ways to increase his offense, there will be open slots in the top six to plug him in at. With Guentzel gone, I personally would try him on Sidney Crosby’s wing alonside Rickard Rakell.“

Though to be honest, I have a sneaking suspicion that they will opt to put him on Evgeni Malkin’s wing instead.

I feel like Bunting, at his best, is the kind of player that a lot of Penguins fans have been asking for. Maybe not Bunting specifically, but his style of play has been craved by a good chunk of this fan base.

Bunting won’t be Jake Guentzel, but I do think fans will come to like him a lot. I hope so, anyways. I do genuinely believe he is the style of player fans have wanted, I just worry that he won’t be looked at that way, because he is the subpar Guentzel replacement.

In a way, I may have actually been wrong. On Bunting, I was totally right. But the trade itself may have been more even than I thought.