Report: 3 teams interested in Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi
By Bob Heyrman
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.