Acquiring the NHL legend fell through - is this Jarmo Kekäläinen's next target?

One significant name has left the NHL’s free agent market this week as Patrick Kane returned to the Chicago Blackhawks. It was also reported that Buffalo Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen was pursuing Kane.

There are still a few notable names among the free agents. One of them is forward Michael Bunting, whom The Hockey News has also linked to Kekäläinen’s Sabres.

– The Sabres were one of the teams strongly connected to Kane this summer before he signed a contract with Chicago. For this reason, it wouldn’t be surprising if they turned their attention to Bunting. Although he does not provide the same offensive threat as Kane, he would help strengthen their top three lines, The Hockey News writes.

– Since the Sabres lost Alex Tuch and have not made significant acquisitions for their offense this summer, acquiring Bunting on a short-term deal could make sense. He could fit well on their third line.

The Hockey News also highlights the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets as potential new teams for Bunting, both of which are in need of reinforcement in their center positions.

Bunting, 30, started last season with the Nashville Predators, playing 61 games with a scoring record of 13+18=31. At the trade deadline, he was traded to the Dallas Stars, where he played 13 regular-season games with a score of 1+1 and one playoff game with a score of 0+1.

In his NHL career, Bunting has played a total of 418 regular-season games (109+143=252) and 14 playoff games (2+4). He has also previously represented the Arizona Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

In his best NHL season, Bunting scored 63 points while with Toronto. This occurred in the 2021-22 season.