The Dallas Stars have reinforced their attack by acquiring forward Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round pick in 2026.
Bunting, 30, becomes the second player to join the Stars before Friday’s trade deadline, joining defenseman Tyler Myers, who was acquired on Wednesday.
With 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games, Bunting is in the final season of a three-year contract worth $4.5 million annually. He is expected to provide Dallas with a versatile forward who can play significant minutes and could be used on the power-play unit.
Bunting joins a Stars team that has three forwards on the injured list: Radek Faksa, Roope Hintz, and Mikko Rantanen. In addition, Tyler Seguin, who hasn’t played since December, will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
Despite these losses, the Stars (38-14-9) arrived on Thursday as the NHL’s hottest team, with 10 straight wins before Friday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
The Stars are in second place in the Central Division, six points behind the Avs.
In contrast, the Predators (27-26-8) are five points behind the Seattle Kraken in the race for the second and last wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Nashville has lost three straight games and five of their last six. This week, the team has traded defenseman Nick Blankenburg, forward Michael McCarron, forward Cole Smith and now Bunting, in exchange for draft picks.
