Fan Favourite Was Never Gonna Come Back To Boston Regardless

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Austin Sabourin
September 22, 2023 (10:48 PM)

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When will the portion of the Boston Bruins fan base still upset with Don Sweeney for losing Tyler Bertuzzi come to terms with reality?

In a recent off-the-record chat with Boston Hockey Now, an NHL Executive source couldn't help but chuckle at Bruins fans who keep criticizing Don Sweeney because Bertuzzi signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July.

«Those fans simply don't like Sweeney because their agenda continues to be proven false,» the source shared. «I can tell you it's a fact that Bertuzzi never intended on signing an extension with the Red Wings before they traded him. That's why they dealt him. Then, when he went to the Bruins, his agent made it clear Bertuzzi was set on testing the market. If the Bruins could match the market value, then maybe he'd stay, but I'm pretty sure that ship sailed when they got bounced by Florida, and then the writing was on the wall with [Patrice] Bergeron and [David] Krejci expected to retire (which they did). Bertuzzi and his agent wanted to go to market, but they misread it. Only then did they decide to give the Bruins a real chance, but it was too late.»

Even Bertuzzi's agent, Todd Reynolds, confirmed in an ESPN interview on July 2 that the Bruins were no longer an option as they turned down the Bruins' final offer in pursuit of a longer contract. When that didn't pan out on the open market, they circled back to Sweeney, but he had already filled his roster with five one-way contracts.

Tyler Bertuzzi himself validated this narrative on Monday, affirming the previous statements.

«There were a lot of one-year deals out there, and I wanted to be at a place where winning was at the top of [our list], our biggest goal, and I know the team has the best chance to make it a long way [in the playoffs], hopefully, and our end goal is to win the Cup It's close to home, too,» Bertuzzi told the media in Toronto.

«[Last year] was my first taste of playoff hockey. That was another reason [why I signed here]. It's the best time of year and it's a lot of fun to play in those situations, and to get a feel for that, I wanted to be back in it and continue to be in it every year I'm excited.»

With ample evidence supporting that Don Sweeney did his utmost to bring back not only Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and another Stanley Cup but also Tyler Bertuzzi, perhaps now is the time to shift that frustration from Sweeney to Bertuzzi. Not only did he intend to bypass the Bruins from the start, but he also chose to sign with a longstanding Original 6 rival. Given these facts, one might expect Bertuzzi, not Sweeney, to face a chorus of boos whenever he hits the ice at TD Garden this season.

As seen on bostonhockeynow