Tyler Bertuzzi leaves bruins Fans stunned After These comments

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Hunter Bowman
July 11, 2023 (12:09)

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The recent departure of gritty forward Tyler Bertuzzi has left Boston Bruins fans with mixed emotions. Despite the team's expressed desire to retain him, they were unable to secure a deal.

However, the terms of the contract he signed came as quite a surprise.

Bertuzzi put pen to paper on a one-year agreement with the Toronto Maple Leafs, fetching a noteworthy $5.5 million. This figure pales in comparison to the rumored multi-year deal he had been seeking.

Speculation suggests that his decision to part ways with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline stemmed from the fact that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was unwilling to commit to a contract longer than two or three years.

It seems that no one was caught more off guard by this turn of events than Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney. Sweeney had been actively exploring ways to secure Bertuzzi's services for the foreseeable future in Boston.

When asked if he was caught off guard by the one-year contract Bertuzzi signed with the Maple Leafs, Sweeney admitted,

"Probably a little bit. Again, I'll refrain from discussing a player on another team at this point in time. However, it's worth noting that some players were seeking longer-term deals, and my focus was on those discussions. Some teams were better positioned to offer shorter-term contracts at the appropriate figures, and we had to address our roster gaps. We made a move to create the necessary cap space. It would have required us to be even more proactive and explore deals, but we felt the value wasn't there to create additional space or be excessively aggressive and make a deal that would necessitate subsequent moves."

Source: Hockeyfeed

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Will Tyler Bertuzzi's upcoming year in Toronto be enough to make Don Sweeney take another swing at him next year?
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