The Flyers are turning to Michael Bunting in an effort to jolt a flatlining offense.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Philadelphia has signed the winger to a one-year, $1.2MM contract as the club looks for a way out of its winless start to the 2026-27 season. The move comes after a brutal opening stretch in which the Flyers have scored just five goals over their first four games.
That lack of punch has left Philadelphia in a rough spot early. The team has gone more than 10 power-play chances without a goal, joining the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning as the only clubs stuck in that lane. For a team that advanced to Round Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, the drop-off has been jarring.
The Flyers do have some offensive skill on the roster, but Rick Tocchet’s teams are built with defense as the priority. Right now, though, the problem is bigger than style. The attack has simply gone cold, and the organization evidently felt it needed help from outside the room.
Bunting arrives as that kind of swing. He’s not being brought in as a headline-grabber, but as a player who can raise the floor. Even so, his track record suggests he may not be the kind of addition that sends opposing coaches scrambling.
His recent path explains part of that. Before the 2023-24 season, Bunting signed a three-year, $13.5MM deal with the Carolina Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent. By the time that contract expired this past summer, he had already suited up for four different organizations.
Last season was split between Nashville and Dallas. With the Predators, Bunting put up 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games while carrying a -17 rating and averaging 14:48 per night.
The finish in Dallas was much quieter: one goal and one assist in 13 games, plus an assist in his lone playoff appearance. Injuries played a major role there.
He also comes in with some catching up to do. Bunting is expected to need time to get back into game shape, since he never took part in training camp or preseason action for any team. He’s likely been skating on his own, but that’s not the same as being ready to jump straight into a lineup and produce.
Philadelphia has clearly decided that standing still is not an option. The front office was aggressive in trying to land high-end talent over the offseason, but those moves did not pay off. Bunting is a reasonable step, but one middle-six winger isn’t going to solve an offense that has already gone ice-cold.
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