Tyler Bertuzzi Set To Enter Free Agency

Despite a solid first 21 games and great playoffs with the Bruins it seems unlikely that winger will resign with the Boston Bruins.

Tyler Bertuzzi is set to hit free agency this summer, meaning the Bruins will have to pay to keep him in black and gold. Which the Bruins don't have much wiggle room to re-sign the 28-year-old fan favourite.

In just 21 regular season games with the Bruins, fans immediately loved Tyler Bertuzzi brought a lot the Bruins lineup, not just some toughness back into the lineup but helping out on the score sheet, racking up 16 points with 12 assists. Following it up with an amazing postseason, scoring 10 points in just 7 games, splitting evenly — 5 goals and 5 assists.

Per insider Frank Seravali and AFP Analytics, Tyler Bertuzzi is projected to get a six-year, $5.25m contract holding a $4.75M cap hit. Which is one of the highest free agents on the market.

In his final media availability back on May 2, Bertuzzi told reporters that he loved his short stint wearing the black and gold, and his family loved their stay in Boston.

«It was a lot of fun,» said Bertuzzi. «It's a special group in here. It definitely stung a lot [losing in the first round]. We had more expectations and a better plan. We loved it [in Boston]. Honestly, we had such a blast. We were in the North End eating pasta every day and going for walks, so we enjoyed every day here. We could definitely see [staying here]. The fans here are awesome, the arenaeverything. I loved it. Having a little girl that will be going to school soon, there will be a lot of factors that will be going in [to a free agency decision]. But I'll make the decision.»

Last Friday, Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Boston Bruins are looking into options on how to keep potential unrestricted free agent winger Tyler Bertuzzi.

«Boston is exploring what it needs to do to keep Tyler Bertuzzi, who is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer,» Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts Podcast.

There are a handful of teams interested in Tyler Bertuzzi, at the top of that list in the Dallas Stars:

The Stars stand out as a prime landing spot for Bertuzzi. NHL insider Jeff Marek reported before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline that the Stars were interested in Bertuzzi. As a result, if he hits the market this summer it should be expected that the Stars will be interested. They are in major need of a top-six left winger as well.

The 2022-23 season was a disaster for the Calgary Flames. Heading into the campaign, they were expected to be among the Western Conference's top teams, but they were far from that. They finished the year with a 38-27-17 record and went on to miss the postseason. They have already fired GM Brad Treliving and Head Coach Darryl Sutter, and changes to their roster are next to follow. Perhaps Bertuzzi could be a player they target because of it. He could add some toughness into the lineup, as well as more fire power on the left side. Simply make them a lot better on paper. The Flames need more skill in their lineup, especially in their top 6. Bringing in a talented forward like Bertuzzi would give them just that.

Although this would pain Bruins fans if Bertuzzi moved onto the big six. The Toronto Maple Leafs are a strong possible free-agent destination for Bertuzzi. Earlier this season, Ansar Khan of MLive.com said that the Maple Leafs have had a long-rumored interest in the strong forward, so Toronto pursuing him this offseason does not seem too out of the question. They have several pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) forwards like Ryan O'Reilly, Michael Bunting, Alex Kerfoot, David Kampf, Noel Acciari, and Zach Aston-Reese. Therefore, they could certainly look to add a top-six forward like Bertuzzi.

Source: Bostonhockeynow