The Boston Bruins must do whatever it takes to keep Tyler Bertuzzi

In an off-season where the Boston Bruins have no shortage of items to check off on their “To-Do List”, the organization finds itself having to make some difficult decisions with its roster that fell well short of its Stanley Cup aspirations.

Make no mistake about it, the Bruins are up against the salary cap, which will certainly impact GM Don Sweeney and President Cam Neely’s decision-making regarding which players stay and who moves on. However, there is one player that the Bruins must do whatever it takes to keep for the 2023-24 season and beyond.

On March 2^nd, the Bruins acquired forward Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2024 first-round draft pick (top-10 protected) and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick. Prior to arriving to Boston, Bertuzzi was a player who put up back-to-back 21-goal seasons and reached the 30-goal mark in 21-20. The Bruins acquired a player who not only could score, but who also played with an edge and fearlessness that often-eluded previous Bruins teams in recent years.

Upon Bertuzzi’s arrival with the Bruins, he scored 16 points (four goals and 12 assists) in 21 regular season games. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bertuzzi had five goals and 10 points in a seven-game, first-round loss to the Florida Panthers. It was Bertuzzi’s first playoff appearance. And he showed the ability to not only score big goals, but also be a key puck distributor creating scoring opportunities for the Bruins.

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The Bruins should do all that it can to keep Bertuzzi for the foreseeable future. The reason why is because Bertuzzi is the type of player that can help make a difference for a team come playoff time.

We know about the offense that he brings when he is healthy, but what he also brings is a nastiness and a snarl that is certainly needed when the heat of the Stanley Cup Playoffs intensifies. We saw it with Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers in Round 1 vs the Bruins, a player who has tremendous offensive skill (he scored 40 goals this past regular season) but also has grit, nastiness, and toughness that certainly plays huge when your team is trying to win the Stanley Cup. Bertuzzi is the perfect mixture of both size, skill and grit in a forward, something that they haven’t had on the roster since former Bruin Milan Lucic.

There will be other teams clamoring for his services come July 1^st, but make no mistake Bertuzzi is exactly the type of player the Bruins need and will benefit greatly from. The Bruins must find a way to sign him to a multi-year deal, because his intangibles benefit the organization in ways that money can’t buy.