Report: 3 teams interested in Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi
The Detroit Red Wings will get a much-needed ten-day furlough for the All-Star break. This break will give Steve Yzerman plenty of time to reflect on the first half of the season and examine what is next for the organization as we head into the year’s second half.
All signs are beginning to point toward the Detroit Red Wings being sellers ahead of the March 3rd NHL Trade Deadline.
The Red Wings entered the All-Star break with a record of 21-19-8, which is good for 50 points. That leaves Detroit seven points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The other issue, Detroit currently has four teams in between them, and the Penguins (Buffalo, New York Islanders, Florida, and Philadelphia) are all vying for that final spot.
Year after year, Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi has found himself at the center of trade talks, but nothing has ever materialized. With the 27-year-old set to become a free agent and contract talks seemingly stalled in recent days, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that three teams have been linked to Bertuzzi in trade talks.
Bertuzzi is coming off a 30-goal, 62-point season but has suffered an abundance of injuries this year which has hindered his productivity and perhaps hurt his overall trade value. The gritty winger has broken both hands this season and most recently suffered a lower-body injury. Bertuzzi has appeared in 17 games this season for the Red Wings scoring just one goal and totaling five points while averaging 16 minutes of ice time per game.
The Dallas Stars are linked to Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi.
Pagnotta recently mentioned that the Stars would add ahead of the deadline if the right fit is found. Tyler Bertuzzi can play either wing and up and down any line. His expiring contract, which averages $4.75 million, makes him an affordable rental candidate, especially if he can remain healthy during the second half of the season. At this point, getting an extension done with captain Dylan Larkin should be Yzerman’s top priority.
Stars general manager Jim Nill is very familiar with Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings, having come from Detroit’s organization, where he served as Ken Holland’s right-hand-man for years.
“We go through our team first. What’s our needs, what’s our weaknesses, what’s our strengths; what do we have for assets if we’re going to do something,” Nill said. “And then we go through the whole league.” “The league’s never been better. The parity has never been tighter. I think it’s going to go down to the wire,” Nill said “Leaguewide, it’s going to be interesting to see where this all goes. I’ve never seen the league so tight. Then you add in the cap, you add in the assets to get players. Who’s selling, who’s not. We hear out there that there’s some pretty marquee players available. How are they going to move? It’s going to be an interesting dynamic.”
Pagnotta mentioned that Patrick Kane could be the top target for Dallas, but the star winger possesses a no-movement clause that he’d need to waive before being traded. If nothing materializes for Kane, a lesser deal for Bertuzzi may be the route Nill goes as he tries to bolster his middle-six forwards.
The Calgary Flames are linked to Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi.
On the surface, the Calgary Flames seem like a perfect fit for Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi plays a rugged blue-collar style that Flames head coach Darryl Sutter admires. Sutter is a farmer in Western Canada during the offseason and doesn’t mind throwing around hay bales in his spare time. Bertuzzi won’t wow you with his skating ability, speed, or hands but hangs his hat on working hard and not being afraid to rub shoulders in the corners or take the puck straight to the net.
The Flames currently find themselves chasing the Colorado Avalanche for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Both teams currently sit with 57 points, but the Avalanche have two games in hand.
This past offseason, the Flames lost star forward Johnny Gaudreau to free agency and replaced him with Nazem Kadri. Calgary also traded Matthew Tkachuk to Florida in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a conditional first-round pick in 2025.
Recently, Sutter has been forced to play veteran winger Milan Lucic on Calgary’s second line with Huberdeau and Kadri. Bertuzzi would fit nicely there for the Flames, and this would not only bolster their top-six, but it would allow Sutter to slide Lucic down to the third or fourth line where he belongs at this juncture of his career.
If you were wondering, Calgary’s top line in their last game was centered by Elias Lindholm, who leads the club with 45 points. Lindholm was flanked by Tyler Taffoli and Dillon Dube.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are linked to Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi.
Well, here we go again. It seems as though the Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to Tyler Bertuzzi for about five years, but this year might be the year a trade comes to fruition.
The top of the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is loaded with superior talent, but there is a significant dropoff from the first two lines to the third group. Up front, Toronto is led by their ‘big four.’ Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and captain John Tavares. Nylander and Marner currently share the team lead in points with 58. Matthews, who is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to injury, sits with 53 points, and Tavares isn’t far behind with 49. After that, the offensive numbers drop off substantially.
Michael Bunting is next with 33 points; then it’s Calle Jarnkrok and Alex Kerfoot sitting with 23 points apiece. With Matthews currently out of the Toronto lineup, it’s Kerfoot centering Nylander and Jarnkrok on the second line. Toronto’s current third line has combined for 35 points on the season.
If Toronto trades for Bertuzzi, he’d immediately give the Leafs a physical top-six winger with scoring upside. He’d be a perfect rental that would remind Leafs fans of Zach Hyman. Hyman excelled in Toronto’s top six, and Bertuzzi can skate on the first line with Marner and Matthews, allowing Bunting to slide down to the second group with Nylander and Tavares.
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Adding Bertuzzi will help Toronto finally get out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoff. If healthy can provide a physical presence, Toronto will require to get past Boston or Tampa Bay in a potential seven-game series.