The Ottawa Senators made a franchise-altering trade earlier this offseason when they dealt Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. Questions about Tkachuk's future had come up for a while before the trade went down, and he will now, unsurprisingly, play with his brother in Florida.
Soon after trading Tkachuk, the Senators acquired William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks. The Senators are hoping that Eklund can help replace the offense that they lost by trading Tkachuk.
However, Eklund is a skilled forward and does not bring the same kind of grit that Tkachuk does. Because of this, the Senators would be wise to add another hard-nosed player to their roster before the start of the season. One UFA who the Senators should consider signing because of this is former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting.
Bunting is a solid middle-six forward who not only can contribute decent secondary offensive production but also isn't afraid of the rough side of the game. Due to this, he could be a good player for Ottawa to sign to bring in more toughness to their roster.
Bunting would give the Senators' a bounce-back candidate if signed
If the Senators were to sign Bunting, he would provide them with another bounce-back candidate to watch. The 30-year-old forward had a quiet year for his standards in 2025-26, posting 14 goals and 33 points in 74 games split between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars.
Yet, from 2021-22 to 2024-25, Bunting scored at least 19 goals in each season. He also recorded 49 points or better from 2021-22 to 2023-24. During the 2023-24 season, he recorded 55 points, so he has had pretty recent success. Perhaps joining the Senators could help him get back to similar offensive totals.
On a short-term deal, Bunting would be a strong pickup for the Senators' top nine. It will be interesting to see if they make a push for him from here. It would make for an interesting story, as he once played for Ottawa's top rival, the Maple Leafs.
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