The Los Angeles Kings completely changed their plans for this offseason when they traded Pierre-Luc Dubois earlier this week.
That trade allows Quinton Byfield to shift back to center which is a great move for him but creates a hole in their lineup at LW1.
Byfield has been a staple next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on the top line but will now have the opportunity to lead his own line.
The Kings won't replace Byfield's impact next to Kopitar and Kempe, he was one of their best forwards last season and you won't find his skill set in free agency.
The Kings can find a quality complementary player for their top line though. Preferably someone with that "desire to win" Rob Blake has mentioned and someone who fits into the mold of wingers that play well with Kopitar.
Kopitar typically likes hardworking, predictable wingers who can retrieve pucks and grind in the corners.
Enter Tyler Bertuzzi:
Hardworking, predictable, retrieves pucks, hard to play against, you get the picture. Tyler Bertuzzi brings a lot of the elements LA is currently missing in their forward group.
He's constantly engaged in the thick of things and isn't afraid to get into the dirty areas of the ice.
Looking at AllThreeZones tracking data, he'd immediately be one of the Kings' best forecheckers and he'd be one of their most physical forwards.
With a career 82-game average of 22 goals and 52 points, he has the offense to be a top-six forward and keep up with the likes of Kopitar and Kempe.
He does profile more as a finisher than a creator, but Bertuzzi scored 18 of his 21 goals from between the circles and below the hash marks last season, he would feed on Kempe's rebounds and both Kopitar and Kempe's playmaking.
As someone who can retrieve pucks, throw his weight around and complement two more skilled linemates, Bertuzzi could be a perfect fit for LA.
There are two minor concerns though. He creates the majority of his offense off the cycle, while the Kings are a more rush-focused team. This could change a bit next season under Hiller, but I don't expect wholesale changes.
It would help that Kopitar and Kempe still create a fair amount off the cycle, but it's something to keep an eye on.
The second concern is his contract. Coming off a $5.5 million AAV contract, most contract projections have him taking a small hit and coming in around the $5 million mark still.
That's not a bad contract for an LW1, but if Bertuzzi is a 20-goal, 45-ish point player, that's a little steep.
If the Kings can get him down to around Trevor Moore's cap hit, $4.2 million, then the deal becomes very enticing.
They could also bank on Bertuzzi seeing a slight uptick in production playing on a top line, getting him to the 50+ point range.
Bertuzzi would bring a lot of elements the Kings are missing to their lineup and could be a perfect fit next to Kopitar and Kempe.
The Kings will have plenty of options this summer, but they need to fill that LW1 hole with quality this summer and Bertuzzit could be the answer.