Would a Tyler Bertuzzi Reunion Make Sense for the Red Wings?
Tyler Bertuzzi is a free agent again. This time around, could he and Steve Yzerman negotiate a contract that makes sense for Detroit?
© Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports - Would a Tyler Bertuzzi Reunion Make Sense for the Red Wings?Tyler Bertuzzi enters the summer of 2024 the same way he entered the summer of 2023: a pending free agent, fresh off a disappointing first round playoff exit.
Last year, he signed a one year, $5.5 million deal to jump from the Bruins (to whom the Red Wings traded him at the deadline) to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He proceeded to play 80 regular season games, scoring 21 goals and giving 22 assists for 43 points, playing an average of 16:03 a night. In seven playoff games, he scored a goal and dished three assists.
It's certainly possible he returns to Toronto, but, more than likely, Bertuzzi will test the free agent marketplace again this summer. With that in mind, could a reunion with the Red Wings make sense for both parties?
Before going any further, it's worth pointing out there is an interpersonal aspect to this conversation that it's difficult for anyone outside of Steve Yzerman and Bertuzzi himself to parse. Did the pair part on good enough terms that a reunion would be of mutual interest?
It seems the immediate cause for Yzerman to move Bertuzzi at last year's trade deadline was the winger's desire for a long-term contract extension the general manager did not see fit to provide. The reason I believe a reunion is a conversation even worthy of entertaining is that if the two returned to the negotiating table, the contract Bertuzzi desires (or, perhaps better said, can reasonably ask for) will be considerably lighter in term and average annual value than the one he craved at the time of his departure.
Meanwhile, at his end-of-season presser, Yzerman expressed a desire to add an impact forward to Detroit's top six—one who could provide both some offense and defensive solidity. "Collectively, you gotta find a way to win games," he said. "If you're not gonna score four and five a game, you better tighten up defensively. I think, whether it's within, continued maturation of some of our young guys...we need to generate the offense...We missed the offensive production when he was out of the lineup that we need, whether it's another centerman or another impact forward at a different position to offset the loss of the offensive production."
Bertuzzi is now 29, and perhaps his ideal role on a contending team lies outside the top six. However, his brand of hockey—diligent, heavy, with some finishing touch on top—seems to fit roughly into the void Yzerman described.
For the deal to make sense for the Red Wings, it would likely have to be a slight pay cut on this year's $5.5 million but considering the season Bertuzzi just had, something in the neighborhood of 2-3 years at between $4-5 million could be mutually agreeable.
Bertuzzi's '23-24 campaign provides evidence for and against a return from Detroit's perspective. On one hand, the price is likely lower because he dropped from 0.6 points-per-game (30 points in 50 games) in 2022-23 to 0.52 last year. Last summer, Bertuzzi was also coming off five goals and five assists for 10 points in seven playoff games, which only boosted his price to a contending team like the Maple Leafs.
At the same time, Bertuzzi was given an excellent opportunity to start the year alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. That ought to have been an ideal launching pad into another round of free agency. Playing beside two elite (regular season) attacking line mates should have been a path to robust numbers, but while 43 points is nothing to sneeze at, he didn't retain that role, nor did he take maximal advantage of the opportunity.
Still, the fact remains that Bertuzzi could bring something that would benefit the Red Wings—a profile that would help the forward group as presently assembled. The question will be whether he and Yzerman can come to terms this time around that make sense for all involved.