Should the Red Wings Explore Tyler Bertuzzi Trades This Off-Season?
Why The Red Wings Could Tyler Bertuzzi
This is a business regardless of what people think. At the end of the day, I don’t think that any organization would move anyone. That’s just not how it goes. And when the prospects are ready, there are going to be some moves made. I think that one of the names that will be moved is forward, Tyler Bertuzzi.
Tyler Bertuzzi was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second-round of the 2013 NHL entry draft. Since that point, Tyler Bertuzzi has done very well. However, his time in the Wings uniform could be coming to an end very soon.
He’s done nothing wrong, he’s just a player that is going to make quite a bit of money after this contract and his skill-set doesn’t make him untradeable. He just kind of has the rotten end of the deal here, but once again- its a business. So, if the Red Wings move him this off-season- where could he end up and what would a return package look like?
Potential Destinations for Tyler Bertuzzi
Finding a trade partner for Tyler Bertuzzi is going to be rather easy I presume. There are only two drawbacks to his game: First, he isn’t vaccinated which means he can’t play in Canada. Therefore, I highly doubt he’ll be playing for any Canadian team if he get’s traded. Secondly, he is due a contract after next season so a team is going to need to have cap space to re-sign him.
If a team can accomplish or settle for both of those things, then finding a trade won’t be rather hard.
Knowing the things that I said above, I decided to look at capfriendly.com to figure out the cap thing first. There were a lot of teams that would be able to pay his salary so that part wasn’t hard. However, they still have to be a team that is in the market to add someone along the lines of Bertuzzi.
Knowing that, I have a couple teams that I’d expect to be interested in him.
New Jersey Devils
This one probably isn’t much of a surprise as their intentions this off-season hasn’t exactly been a smokescreen. They’ve been tied to Claude Giroux since the beginning of the off-season and last year they signed defenseman, Dougie Hamilton to a rather large contract. In my opinion, if you throw Tyler Bertuzzi’s name out there to the Devils, they’d be intrigued.
The New Jersey Devils currently have a very young team, but they’ve been in a spot similar to the Red Wings just a little futher along. They are in the market to add veteran players to help balance out their team a little bit. Lucky for them, Bertuzzi fits that critera and could be available.
With the Devils having a very young team when you consider their team as a whole, they have a ton of cap space available. With roughly $25,000,000 in cap space available. They’d be able to afford Bertuzzi’s $4,500,000 easily and give him the extension he is looking for. Additionally, he would be a perfect fit for their team.
With Jack Hughes coming off a great season and Nico Hischier having a breakout season, they are going to be looking for a winger that can play on the top line and Bertuzzi has done just that since becoming a Red Wing.
I think Bertuzzi would actually be a great fit with the Devils.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are very similar to the Devils when you consider their team’s structure. It’s filled with a lot of sub-par veteran players and a bunch of young guys who need some leadership and guidance as they make their transition into the NHL.
Between Tage Thompson, Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens, Owen Power, and many other prospects, they have a lot of guys in the locker room that haven’t really produced or played at the NHL level. I mean, Thompson is the oldest of those names and he just broke out this past season after struggling for years.
Now, I will say that their addition of Alex Tuch in the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas was a very good trade. Tuch showed great leadership qualities in Vegas and I expect that to result in him eventually earning the ‘C’ in Buffalo.
He clearly loves the city of Buffalo and even grew up a Sabres fan according to his press confrence after being traded. However, do the Sabres fans really feel that Kyle Okposso and Jeff Skinner are the players they need? If so, I feel like you’re lying to youself. No offense, of course- I just find it hard to believe.
If they were to trade for Tyler Bertuzzi, they’d be getting another veteran player who is proven but is also still in his prime. He has good leadership to help out as a teacher on the ice to the young guys. And he also would help with their production.
Now, I know that they have been interested in adding Patrick Kane via. trade. And if there’s truth to that rumor, I don’t expect them to go with Tyler Bertuzzi. However, if this Patrick Kane rumors are false or they can’t agree on a trade package, then I could see this being Bertuzzi’s landing spot.
Nashville Predators
The Nasvhille Predators team is… interesting. When looking at their roster, I don’t really see how they made the playoffs. I mean, they have a decent top six and they have a good defenseman in Roman Josi, but what makes them a playoff contendor? That’s what boggles me.
This past season they had Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, and Roman Josi lead the way into the playoffs. While being on the shoulders of Vezina finalist, Jusse Saros. So, that helped, but the depth they had on their team was pretty pathetic.
Adding another big name player should be on the top of their list this off-season along with adding depth. So, with that being said, I expect this to be more than just a Tyler Bertuzzi trade. I could see something with the Predators being a big move.
I recently wrote about how the Red Wings should target Filip Forsberg in free agency because the Red Wings need to add a legitamite star. However, I could see the Nashville Predators and Red Wings making a rather crazy deal that would send Forsberg to Detroit and Bertuzzi, Zadina, and something else to Nashville.
I don’t think that Nashville would make a trade with the Red Wings if it wasn’t a crazy deal. Furthermore, because of their lack of depth, they don’t have the players or draft capital to get the Red Wings a proper return.
What Could the Red Wings Get in Return for Bertuzzi?
The Detroit Red Wings will undoutedly recevie calls for Tyler Bertuzzi if they added him to the trade block. Teams like the Rangers, Islanders, Sabres, Devils, Predators, Senators, Ducks, Canucks… Pretty much every team I feel would call in relation to his availability. So, knowing the demand for him, what could the Red Wings realistically get in return for Bertuzzi?
So, this of course is all speculation but I have a couple notes before getting into this topic.
First, you have to consider the fact that it’s not at the trade deadline. So, a team is not going to overpay for him on the own merit that they are one player away from getting a cup. So, the package that they receive will be way more down-to-earth than what we see at the deadline where players like Lindholm were going for multiple top picks. It’s not the case.
Secondly, the Red Wings aren’t going to be deseperate to trade him which means that it’s going to have to be a compelling offer. And I know what I just said which is why I’m saying this: There is a gray area there and that’s where this package will sit. So, let’s get into what a return could look like.
For these examples I’m going to put together mock offers for the three teams that we saw earlier in this article.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are looking for some players and have been interested in moving out of the second overall pick spot. Well, how about getting a proven player that fits exactly what they are looking for. Additionally, he still has a couple years left on his contract at a cheap cost. Then you throw in the eight overall pick, and a young, promising defenseman. It seems like a very fair trade when you consider they are only moving back a few spots, and are gaining a extra prospect, keeping a top 10 pick in the draft, and a goal scorer like Bertuzzi.
Buffalo Sabres
The Detroit Red Wings are in the process of rebuilding and are looking to fill out their roster with more youth. They truly seem to have what it takes, they just need the right pieces.
Mittlestadt has struggles with the Sabres primarily due to injuries. However, he’s shown a lot of potential and has been considered a top prospect in their pipeline since being drafted. So, a change of scenery may be what he needs to really jump-start his career.
Portillo hasn’t came out of college yet, but being the starter at a powerhouse like Michigam, it’s understandable that he wants to win and enjoy his time in college. But, when he does come out, he could be a really good backup to Sebastian Cossa. He’d also get the chance to stay in Detroit and play for the Red Wings which I’m sure is appealing. Not to mention the young goalie tandem could be one of the best in the league.
Bryson on the other hand made a huge leap in production last season and he appears to be poised for a breakout season. Being a top four defenseman prospect, and the Sabres needing a veteran to play alongside Owen Power, they would more than likely be willing to let Bryson go in this trade.
The Second-round pick was an added bonus that gives the Red Wings yet another chance at a potential superstar in the making. I fully trust Yzerman with the pick and expect something to come of it.
Nashville Predators
I know this one looks underwhelming so before you judge the book by it’s cover, please just hold up.
In a previous article I wrote the following statement:
“They need a top two left-handed defenseman that can play alongside Moritz Seider. They need a center two that can pass the puck to the wings and be a high IQ player. They also need a top notch goal scorer,” and It was that statement that set up this trade.
Luke Evangelista is one of the most dominant prospects I had seen this season. Nearly having a goal per game and two points per game, the talent is there without a doubt.
There were videos circulating the internet of some of his goals and plays all season long, and it makes you excited for him. It also makes you wonder what it’d take to get him on your team and I hope I found the answer because he is exactly what we need.
He has the shot that could lead him to one day be a 30-40 goal scorer and the passing skillset that could give him a boost as a 70-80 point player.
As far as Campbell, he is an exciting player due to his top notch pace. He is truly a great skater and this past season at Clarkson Univeristy, he led the team in goals. Now, the addition of Campbell would give the Red Wings a guy who, if you give him a year and a half, could be the center two we’ve been looking for. I’m pretty confident in that statement as well.
He pops off the screen when he is on the ice, and his ability to put the puck on his teammates sticks in stride is just another reason why the Red Wings could use him. The passing, the speed, the goal scoring, it’s all there. He just has to develop and be able to do that in the toughest league in the world. I think out of all three trades I just did, this one here is my favorite. I’d love to see it happen.