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Flyers To Sign Michael Bunting

Originally posted on Pro Hockey Rumors
By Brennan McClain | Last updated Oct 6, 2026 2:17 PM ET

The Philadelphia Flyers are bringing in some outside help to correct their winless start to the 2026-27 campaign. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Flyers have signed forward Michael Bunting to a one-year, $1.2MM contract.

Last season, Philadelphia rode a subpar offense into Round Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. They do have some offensive talent, but a team coached by Rick Tocchet will always put defense first. Unfortunately, the Flyers’ offense has completely bottomed out, scoring only five goals in their first four contests. Additionally, Philadelphia joins the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning as the only teams without a powerplay goal in 10+ opportunities.

A year after reaching the postseason, this has quickly become unacceptable. Having few internal options to provide a spark, the Flyers are bringing in Bunting as a potential solution. Unfortunately, given how his career has played out, Bunting projects as a floor-raiser, but doesn’t necessarily intimidate opposing defenses.

Still, that could be because Bunting hasn’t had much stability throughout the past several years. Before the 2023-24 season, Bunting signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Carolina Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent. By the time that contract ended this past summer, Bunting had played for four different organizations.

Last year, he split his season between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. He got off to a decent start with the Predators, scoring 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games with a -17 rating, averaging 14:48 of ice time per game. Things didn’t go as well with Dallas.

Because of several injuries, Bunting ended the season with one goal and one assist in 13 games with the Stars. Those injuries limited him to one postseason appearance, where he tallied an assist.

Regardless, it will likely be some time before Bunting becomes a consistent factor for the Flyers. He’s likely been skating on his own, but it’s worth mentioning that Bunting never participated in training camp or preseason action for any team. He’ll need some time to ramp up because of that.

Clearly, Philadelphia’s front office recognizes that changes are necessary. The Flyers were aggressive in poaching high-end talent this past offseason, though none of the moves panned out. Bunting is a decent start, but Philadelphia was not one middle-six winger away from fixing their offensive drought.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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