Mike Babcock's Edmonton Oilers will be defined by their ability to play four-line, two-way hockey, as well as their ability to defend effectively.
If that is truly the mentality going forward, then the Oilers need to bring Michael Bunting into the fold.
A longtime NHL veteran/journeyman, Bunting most recently played for the Dallas Stars. He also spent time with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth. He has moved frequently over the past few seasons, being traded in each of the last three campaigns. That said, he has been quite productive over that timeframe and beyond; he's recorded at least 30 points and scored over 15 goals in each of the last five seasons.
Beyond those numbers, the story can be read two different ways. While Bunting is a player who can help bolster a team's scoring, such scoring numbers have declined over the past three seasons. He also gives up a lot of penalty minutes; four of the last five seasons have seen Bunting record a negative penalty differential, meaning that he is giving up more penalties than the amount of numerical advantages that he forces.
Obviously, that is a knock-on effect of the kind of player that he is. After all, he is a two-way forward that can score while also winning pucks along the board and eliminating any extra space on the ice.
That's the kind of game Babcock wants to insert into this Oilers lineup
By now, it is clear that Babcock wants every player to be able to track down and take the puck from opposing players, he wants discipline on both sides of the ice, and he wants players who are fast.
While his speed wouldn't rival that of Connor McDavid (his 65th percentile ranking in that category is significantly lower than that of McDavid), it is clear that Bunting does bring the other two factors.
The dream lineup? Bunting on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson, with Mattias Ekholm and Connor Murphy as the defensive pairing.
In late-game situations, that line could be quite effective when it comes to preventing opponents from establishing an offensive zone presence, be it by winning puck battles and forcing clearances, or even by closing down space and creating blocked shots. One could even make that argument for the penalty kill; even if Babcock had to choose between Nugent-Hopkins or Dickinson to pair with Bunting and allow for two defensemen to take the ice, having the ex-Star on board gives Babcock that flexibility. Even then, having Bunting on the bench simply gives Babcock the opportunity to run two lines capable of working through a penalty situation.
While one must consider that the Oilers only have $1 million in salary cap room, they can still bring Bunting in on a professional tryout agreement (PTO) for the remainder of preseason and then decide if they are going to offer a contract. Such a contract would more than likely be a one-year, "prove it" deal, allowing Bunting to show that he can contribute on both ends of the ice while improving his scoring numbers.
Salary-wise, said deal could probably end up being worth $2 million per year at most. That means that the cost to bring Bunting in would not be that significant in terms of creating the final opening day lineup. The simplest solution for the Oilers would be to move Mattias Janmark or Matt Savoie, both of whom are on IR, to the LTIR to allow the Oilers the opportunity to pull off some salary cap gymnastics to temporarily put Bunting into the lineup.
For context, the LTIR can come into play if a player is set to miss 10 regular-season games and 24 calendar days. Given that Matt Savoie along with others might be out until late-October, which fulfills the 24 day requirement and puts the Oilers past 10 regular-season games, he is in position to be moved onto the LTIR.
With all of the above in mind, the Oilers should look into offering Bunting a one-year deal or work towards offering him one. The cost to do so, both in terms of the roster situation and Bunting's profile, is quite minimal. Most importantly, signing him means that the Oilers could be setting themselves up to acquire a very valuable role player.
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