Multiple reports overnight indicate the Blackhawks are expected to land winger Tyler Bertuzzi when the UFA market opens at 11 a.m. CT today, although Daily Faceoff’s Jay Rosehill was on it first. It’ll be a four-year, $22MM deal ($5.5MM AAV), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
Chicago will be Bertuzzi’s first turn after a one-year stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bertuzzi joined Toronto on a one-year, $5.5MM deal last summer and proceeded to have a fine year, netting 21 goals and 43 points in 80 games. He also added four points in seven postseason games. It was a middling performance, though still a step up from Bertuzzi’s 2022-23 campaign.
He kicked off that year with 14 points in 29 games with the Detroit Red Wings before being traded to the Boston Bruins at the 2023 Trade Deadline in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Bertuzzi managed a modest 16 points in 21 regular season games with Boston, though he found his spark when the team needed him – tallying 10 points, split evenly, in seven games during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Bertuzzi looked comfortable in Boston after spending the previous six seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit originally drafted Bertuzzi in the second half of the 2013 NHL Draft’s second round, promoting him to the NHL in the 2016-17 season. And while he was able to set a trend of topping 45 points each season in Detroit, there were concerns about how his rough-and-tumble style would translate to a new scene. That made a strong performance with the Bruins imperative – and Bertuzzi held up enough to convince Toronto that they were missing his top-of-the-lineup grit.
But Bertuzzi wasn’t able to carve out too comfortable of a role with the Leafs. He spent the year bouncing around the team’s top six as they looked for how to best deploy their new additions of Bertuzzi and Max Domi. In the end, it was Domi who found more comfort next to stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner – ultimately kicking Bertuzzi down to the second line. Toronto, amidst their typical cap crunch, was only expected to keep one of these new additions and made their choice by delivering a four-year extension to Domi.
That leaves Bertuzzi free to join an up-and-coming Blackhawks club. He joins the lineup as, presently, their highest-paid forward, speaking to the leadership role he’ll have over a group of young forwards, headlined by star youngsters Connor Bedard and Artyom Levshunov. Bertuzzi could vie for a role on Bedard’s line, sat opposite Taylor Hall, though it seems more likely that the Hawks keep Philipp Kurashev next to their star and use Bertuzzi to offer a punch on the second line. If that is the role he finds himself in, Bertuzzi will instead be supporting top prospect Frank Nazar, who’s poised for his rookie season after signing an entry-level contract this summer.
A four-year deal will carry Bertuzzi through his age-33 season in 2027-28. With Bertuzzi signed, Chicago now has $23.4MM in cap space, with one forward spot and three defense spots still open. Some of those roles could go to prospects like Nick Lardis, Ethan Del Mastro, or Nolan Allan – though Chicago still has plenty of budget for other free-agent additions.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Hawks are going to be terrible for years to come. Plus that logo.. it’s like a 6 year old made it.
It will be a while before they contend, true. However, lay off one of the best logos in sports. You’re just a hater. Probably a lowly Wings or Blues fan. Or worse yet, a Predator fan.
One of the greatest logos in pro sports….and I’m a Preds fan saying that!
Clearly this is a complete troll looking for a reaction.
was not a fan of Toronto bringing him back at $5 million. his style is something Chicago lacks though so it’s not an awful fit.
Didn’t know they were allowed to negotiate before free agency, is that a new thing?
How is this not considered tampering, were his rights traded to the blackhawks. Rangers signed Carrick as well, this seems off to me?
a lot of teams do, we always get these reports before they can be made official every year, idk what the rules are about this but we already have quite a handful that have apparently agreed to new deals with new teams already
Teams can negotiate a few days before free agency with players. Used to be a week before free agency but I think it is likely in line with the draft now for when they can
Undoubtedly looking for some protection for #98. Hopefully #98 can bulk up a little himself, as well. Reports here in Chicago are that this is a primary focus of his/theirs in this off season. Their 2024 draft also focused on bringing in future speed, size, & grit types.
Ughh not Bertuzzi, is there anyone else out there then this guy.
Seems like the Hawks are trying to beef up the 2nd line here rather than find Bedard a true running mate which is what they need. They seem content to hope Taylor Hall makes it all the way back and forms the team with Bedard he was supposed to last year. Nazar- Bertuzzi-Mcgroarty has a nice ring to it don’t ya think? Might even end up being better than Hall-Bedard-Kurashev. Now let’s take care of business and get Gustavsson from the Wild.