The Toronto Maple Leafs made a couple of additions on day one of free agency in Ryan Reaves and John Klingberg; however, new GM Brad Trevliving swung for the fences on day two as he signed 28-year-old winger Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year 5.5 million dollar contract and there’s a sense that he isn’t done yet. There has been quite a bit of chatter linking the Leafs to Max Domi, son of Leafs legend Tie Domi.
So what are the Leafs getting in Tyler Bertuzzi? To be brief about it, everything they lack. Physicality, nastiness, sandpaper, snarl, and it doesn’t hurt that he has the ability to score as well.
Bertuzzi spent last season split between Detroit and Boston, where he appeared in just 50 games; he scored eight goals while he added 22 assists for a total of 30 points. After he was traded to Boston, his production hit another level. In 21 regular season games with the B’s, he scored a total of 16 points. He continued that hot streak into the playoffs as he went on to play in seven playoff games with the Bruins, where he scored five goals and five assists, tying him with Brad Marchand for the team lead in points.
Throughout his career, he has appeared in 326 games and has produced 218 points during that time, 92 goals, and 126 assists.
When it comes to playoff hockey and how intense it is, Bertuzzi is absolutely the kind of guy you want on your team. He leaves it all out there every single night. If his team needs a scrap to wake them up, he delivers. If they need a pushback in terms of physicality, he’s right there, laying a big hit, if not two. Finally, if his team is down and needs to get back in the game, he usually factors in on the scoresheet as well. In my opinion, this is a perfect addition for the blue and white, and he will become a fan favorite in no time, along with Ryan Reaves. Personally, I really hope Treliving adds more guys similar to Bertuzzi before the end of the summer.
