Maple Leafs, Tyler Bertuzzi agree to 1-year, $5.5 million deal: What he brings to Toronto - The Athletic

Free-agent forward Tyler Bertuzzi is signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team announced Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Bertuzzi put up 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) across 50 games last season with the Red Wings and Bruins.
• He missed more than a month midway through the season after undergoing surgery for a hand injury.
• Boston acquired the 28-year-old at the trade deadline in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (top-10 protected) and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

🖊 We’ve signed forward Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year contract pic.twitter.com/T8PLhhOqRP

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 2, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What Bertuzzi brings to Toronto

The Leafs make a smart bet here on Bertuzzi, a clear-cut top-six winger who will step right into the void left by Michael Bunting. It’s only a one-year deal, a low-risk commitment for the Leafs and an opportunity for Bertuzzi to prove himself and get a larger contract next summer when the salary cap rises.

Bertuzzi will likely slot in next to either Auston Matthews on the Leafs’ No. 1 line or, assuming he stays at centre, John Tavares on the second unit. Bertuzzi should bring the Leafs some necessary offensive punch beyond the top guys. — Siegel

GO DEEPER

NHL contract grades: Tyler Bertuzzi is a big win for Maple Leafs' top 6

Why a deal didn’t work out in Boston

The Bruins were never optimistic about bringing back Bertuzzi. But even as recently as Saturday, general manager Don Sweeney cited term and average annual value as factors that would swing Bertuzzi’s decision elsewhere.

A one-year deal, in retrospect, is something the Bruins could have granted Bertuzzi. Whether they could have met his salary ask is unknown.

The Bruins are weaker now on two fronts: because they no longer have Bertuzzi, and because he’s now helping perhaps their biggest rival. The greasy Bertuzzi should be a good fit for the Maple Leafs because of his willingness to play inside, make plays and push back on opponents.

James van Riemsdyk and Jakub Lauko are two candidates to take some of Bertuzzi’s responsibilities. But neither brings Bertuzzi’s all-around offensive presence. — Shinzawa

Backstory

A second-round pick by Detroit in the 2013 NHL Draft, Bertuzzi has 218 career points (92 goals, 126 assists). His most prolific season came in the 2021-22 campaign, when he racked up 62 points in 68 games.

The Athletic ranked Bertuzzi as the best forward available in the 2023 unrestricted free-agent class.

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(Photo: Bob DeChiara / USA Today)

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2023-07-03 07:54:31Z
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