The New York Islanders Could Circle Back on Michael Bunting as Summer Continues

America celebrated its 250th anniversary, and that means the busiest few weeks of the NHL offseason are now complete. The Draft is complete, and the first few days of free agency are the most important, but recent years have shown that impactful players can still be had from now until training camp. The New York Islanders were not active in the top tier of free agents but could do some work the rest of the summer with "project" players.

Having just $4,222,917 in cap space per PuckPedia, Mathieu Darche and company will have to get creative. Not only does new head coach Peter DeBoer have a full roster returning this season, but he has a plethora of players heading to the press box for games. Luckily for the Islanders, the big names are gone, but useful players are looking for an opportunity to prove themselves at a bargain. Patrik Laine, Vladimir Tarasenko, Michael Bunting, and David Perron stand out from the rest.

While Tarasenko and Perron are proven veterans attempting to prove they can continue to produce at a high level, I believe Darche will have his eyes on Bunting and Laine for the rest of the summer. The objective for the upcoming season appears to be about competition. The more talent, the better training camp competition will be for the Islanders.

Michael Bunting

The 30-year-old left winger has played almost 500 NHL games but has been bouncing around the league after leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs via free agency to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes. Since that move in 2024, Bunting has played for two teams each season, including last year, when he started in Nashville and finished with the Dallas Stars.

Bunting has not reached the 20-goal marker since playing with top talent in Toronto, but he has consistently brought a sandpaper style with 14-19 goals a season. Coming off a 3-year contract with an AAV of $4.5 million, Bunting may not have a chance to get more than a one or two-year contract this summer.

Before Darche acquired Ondrej Palat from the New Jersey Devils, there was talk around the league that Bunting was a target for the Islanders. I would have to think that attraction has not subsided in a matter of months.

This is the more realistic option for the Islanders as Bunting will be looking for a good opportunity to play bigger minutes. Naturally, the Ontario native will explore the market to get the most money, so that may take some time. Eventually, the summer will progress, and Bunting will have to look at an option like Long Island.

Patrick Laine

Laine is just 28 years old and no longer tied to a large $8.7 million AAV. As attractive as that may be, the former second overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft is far from the 30-goal scorer in Winnipeg. 26 goals in 2021-22 is the best production by the Finnish forward.

After a stint in Columbus, Laine has been in Montreal for the last two years but has only managed to play in 54 games, and all 20 goals came in 2024-25. Laine provides size with a 6'5 frame, possessing soft hands, especially on the man advantage. 15 of Laine's 20 goals were scored on the power-play, and he has 85 career power-play goals.

The power play has been a big problem on Long Island for years now, and despite the locker room issues attached to Laine, the Islanders would be desperate to have that production with Mathew Barzal.

Health and attitude are the biggest issues for the Islanders, but it could be worth a shot if he signs a "prove it" one-year contract.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow