The Edmonton Oilers lost more than a box-score winger when Connor Brown moved on. What they gave up was the kind of forward every contender leans on: a high-energy, two-way player who can kill penalties, chase pucks, and keep his game intact no matter where he’s slotted in the lineup.
That’s what makes Michael Bunting such an interesting free-agent fit for Edmonton this summer.
Bunting isn’t Brown, and the differences matter. Brown’s value came from being dependable on the defensive side and on the penalty kill.
Bunting brings a different flavor. He lives around the crease, leans into contact, and makes life miserable for goaltenders and defenders by turning the front of the net into a traffic jam.
He’s also the kind of player who can get under an opponent’s skin without needing to say much. That edge has always been part of his appeal, along with the ability to chip in offense when chances come his way.
His production last season was quieter than usual, but it was still solid: 14 goals and 33 points across Nashville and Dallas. Even with that dip, Bunting kept the same identity. He plays in the dirty areas, competes hard, and has a way of making the game feel less comfortable for everyone else on the ice.
There’s also a clear stylistic fit with Zach Hyman’s job when Hyman isn’t on the ice. Hyman has made a living by getting to the front of the net, battling for rebounds, and scoring from close range through sheer persistence.
Bunting has a similar mindset. He wants to be right in the middle of the chaos, planted where the puck is most likely to land and ready to pounce when it does.
That matters for an Oilers team that already has plenty of star power up front. What they would be getting in Bunting is not a headline name, but a veteran winger who can bring sandpaper, energy, and enough scoring touch to matter in the right moments. He doesn’t need top-line minutes to make an impact.
He still wouldn’t be a perfect replacement for Brown. Brown was the steadier defensive player and the stronger penalty killer.
Bunting offers more of an offensive bite and a more physical nuisance factor. But if Edmonton wants a depth winger who makes opponents work for every inch and can still finish a few chances, Bunting fits that conversation.
Brown gave the Oilers a hard-to-replace playoff utility. Bunting wouldn’t replicate it exactly, but he could bring his own version of that same hard-to-play-against edge.
In Other News...
Oilers Offseason Overhaul Left One Huge Question About Their Cup Hopes
Edmonton spent the offseason making the kind of changes that can reshape a contenders identity in a hurry, touching nearly every part of the roster. The Oilers added Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi in goal, brought in Mathieu Joseph and Ryan Shea, and moved on from Adam Henrique while still leaving Jack Roslovics spot unresolved, all as part of a broader push to recalibrate a team that still has Cup aspirations.
The most consequential swing came behind the bench and on the blue line, where the club turned to Mike Babcock as its new coach and sent Darnell Nurse to San Jose for Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zach Sharp. Put together, the moves look like a mix of upgrades and washouts on paper, but the real question for Edmonton is whether the collection of tweaks is enough to change the ceiling of a roster that already knows how thin the margin is at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Evan Bouchard Is Forcing Oilers Fans To Revisit This Debate
Evan Bouchards game has taken on a different look for the Oilers, and it is stirring up an old argument about how much his defensive play should matter against everything he brings going the other way. The criticism around him never really disappeared, but his statistical performance has backed up the idea that he has made real progress in that area, giving Edmonton another reason to weigh the player he is now against the version fans still remember.
For a team built around elite offense and big moments from the blue line, Bouchards development keeps nudging the conversation toward a familiar question: how much defensive polish is enough when the rest of the package is so valuable? It is the kind of debate Oilers fans will keep revisiting as the season approaches, especially with the roster picture around the league still full of moving parts and high-profile uncertainty elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]