The Flyers have added Michael Bunting on a one-year deal worth $1.2 million, a short-term move that points to a low-risk bet on offense. NHL insider Darren Dreger reported the agreement, and neither the team nor Dreger has offered any additional contract details, including whether it’s a one-way or two-way arrangement.
For now, the bigger question is role. Bunting has spent time as a top-six forward before, but the price tag and his quiet market in free agency make him look more like a depth piece for Philadelphia. Dreger described the move as bringing in Bunting “for some spark”, which fits the sense that this was a recent reaction to the Flyers’ rough start.
Philadelphia has opened the season with just five goals in its first four games, and head coach Rick Tocchet has not been shy about his dissatisfaction with the group. That backdrop gives the signing a little more urgency, and it suggests GM Daniel Briere may have moved only after the need became obvious.
Bunting, 31, split last season between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. He finished with 14 goals and 33 points in 74 games before Dallas was bounced in the first round. He remained unsigned through the summer and into the season, a stretch that caught plenty of attention around the league.
Part of that delay likely came from concern over recent injuries, which may have made teams hesitant to commit.
The Scarborough, Ont., native has logged 109 goals and 252 points in 418 career games with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Dallas. His strongest season came in 2021-22, when he scored 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games for the Maple Leafs and finished third in Calder Trophy voting.
Bunting is coming off a three-year, $13.5 million contract.
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Stars May Have Found The Response Their Slumping Attack Needed
The Stars got exactly the kind of reset they were looking for with a 5-0 win over the Sharks, snapping out of a brief stretch in which the offense had gone quiet. After two games without much scoring, Dallas looked more like itself by keeping the game simple, spending more time in the offensive zone and tilting the ice in its favor from the start.
San Jose was already shorthanded without Macklin Celebrini, but Dallas did far more than take advantage of a thin lineup. The Stars controlled the game territorially and played with a much better edge in the details, winning battles and creating traffic instead of trying to force perfect looks, a formula that may be worth carrying forward if this attack wants to stay on track. [Read more 🡒]