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Did Flyers Sign Wrong Veteran Free Agent Winger?
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- Did Flyers Sign Wrong Veteran Free Agent Winger?
In an interesting move that led to them replacing youth and flair with experience and sandpaper, the Philadelphia Flyers signed veteran free agent winger Michael Bunting to a one-year contract on Tuesday. Such a signing has its benefits, but it's fair to wonder if the Flyers got the right guy.
Four games into the season, Bunting isn't the only experienced winger with an established history of some scoring upside out there.
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The Flyers likely chose the 31-year-old because of his physicality and ability to play the agitator role as a complementary forward , but in terms of pure skill and scoring upside, well, there's more out there.
All-Star sniper and two-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko remains without a contract through the early stages of the 2026-27 season, and he's the only free agent forward remaining who scored at least 20 goals and 40 points last season.
In 75 games with the Minnesota Wild, Tarasenko, 34, scored 23 goals, 24 assists, and 47 points on a team with winning aspirations, rebounding nicely from a bad season with Detroit that saw him score just 11 times in 80 games in 2024-25.
Indeed, the Russian sharpshooter is no longer the player he was at the peak of his career with the St. Louis Blues, but his stints with Minnesota, Florida, and even the New York Rangers have proven that Tarasenko can, at a minimum, still bang 'em in for a contender in a middle-six role.
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On top of his obvious scoring upside, Tarasenko won cups with Florida in 2024 and St. Louis in 2019, and his 132 playoff games and two rings are something the Flyers have placed a premium on in the past when adding to their young team.
Remember, at the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Flyers traded what ended up being the 109th overall pick for an Erik Johnson well past his best playing days, then re-signed him in the offseason.
In the 2023 offseason, the Flyers had brought in Marc Staal, who was fresh off a Cup Final appearance with Florida, the second of his career.
The Flyers moved away from that approach last season and it paid off with their first playoff appearance since 2020, but the bottom appears to have completely fallen out this season, for whatever reason.
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The Flyers have scored just five goals in four games this season, and only the rebuilding Calgary Flames (three in three) have been worse.
Defense has never been his thing, but Vladimir Tarasenko can still score at a high level. (Photo: HockeyStats.com)
On top of his skill and experience, Tarasenko would be an excellent mentor for young Russian talents Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin, who are still cutting their teeth at the NHL level.
Oh, and 75 of Tarasenko's 327 regular season goals have come on the power play, which would surely be a boon for a Flyers power play that has sputtered to an 0-11 start while also allowing a short-handed goal.
Bunting's not half-bad either, with 36 of his 109 goals coming on the power play, but a much larger portion of his goals have come on the man advantage (33% vs. 23%) compared to Tarasenko.
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As a not-as-naturally-skilled player, the Flyers may not be able to lift Bunting to his full scoring potential with their woeful power play units, and there is an element of concern given that the two-time 20-goal-scorer ended last season with just one goal in his last 14 games, including his lone playoff appearance.
In any event, Tarasenko, like Bunting, has been without a new team this long for a reason, though it's fair to wonder if Tarasenko would have been a better fit for the offense-needy Flyers.
