After the daunting task of negotiating contracts, Tyler Bertuzzi finally got his. Bertuzzi has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and will be there for the next year. In addition, his AAV on his new contract is $5.5 million. The young forward gets to bank on a big free agent payday next season.
🖊 We’ve signed forward Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year contract pic.twitter.com/T8PLhhOqRP
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 2, 2023
Bertuzzi Signs Short-Term Contract
After failing to come to an agreement with Steve Yzerman, the Detroit Red Wings shipped him off to the Boston Bruins. Taylor Hall being injured helped facilitate that move. In addition, that trade paid dividends for Boston as he was a key contributor down the stretch. He was the perfect player for Boston and enjoyed his first taste of playoff action. Now he will take his talents to Toronto and show why he was worth the contract.
Why This Deal Makes Sense
The Tyler Bertuzzi contract makes sense for the team. You can never have too much depth on your roster and Bertuzzi fits the bill. Despite injuries plaguing some of his seasons, Bertuzzi has hit the 60+ point mark once. This season, he scored eight goals, 22 assists, and 30 points in 50 games. But the biggest key for Bertuzzi was settling in and thriving in the postseason. It was his first time, and he enjoyed the opportunity. Bertuzzi was tied for the team lead in goals (5) and was first in points (10). He was a machine at generating chances with 3.1 expected goals. That was second behind David Pastrnak. Bertuzzi made his mark and turned heads to end the season garnering this contract.
This team knows what they are getting with Bertuzzi.
Why This Contract Makes Sense For Bertuzzi
This contract makes sense for Tyler Bertuzzi. After not being able to ink a long-term extension in Detroit, he is going to be on himself. He is still searching for a monster payday. Bertuzzi is still looking for security. However, he can focus on hockey for now and do this against next July 1.
Main Photo: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
