Tyler Bertuzzi has not warmed himself up to Leafs Nation very well. The winger, who was signed as a free agent for $5.5 million in the off-season was supposed to be a big part of offense for the Toronto Maple Leafs, all while providing grit, toughness and depth for a team that has big playoff aspirations. So far, he has one even-strength goal after 11 games and was recently caught on camera laughing off a dangerous play by a former teammate.
Bertuzzi is quickly getting on the wrong side of the fan base. If he’s going to rebound this season, it needs to start soon. Should he not, his prospects of a long-term deal with the Leafs are dwindling and other teams will notice.
Bertuzzi Isn’t Scoring
A player that was easily supposed to put up 20-30 goals this season, Bertuzzi is on pace for 14. It’s troubling when you think about the fact the Maple Leafs paid him $5.5 million to come in and regularly produce. And, if he was potting goals like Pez candies, the coaching staff and fan base might be prone to forgive some of the other things he’s doing that will drive you crazy. But, because he’s not doing that one thing he was brought in to do, everything else is magnified.
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For years, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander were given passes because their offense was so dynamic. Seen as offensive dynamos, the odd lapse here or there was quickly overlooked. Eventually, even they had to learn to improve their defense in this market because fans were starting to get critical of their lack or two-way play. It’s not perfect, but a marked improvement has been evident as these players have matured. Bertuzzi isn’t offering anywhere near the same level of offense. He’s not going to be afforded the same leniency.
Bertuzzi Isn’t Following Basic Directions
Bertuzzi’s recent benching during parts of the last two Maple Leafs games has sparked debate among the fan base. Sportsnet hockey analyst Justin Bourne talked about Bertuzzi’s willingness to fly the zone early and cheat for offense. Coach Sheldon Keefe has noticed and he’s sat the forward at times to send a message.
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When asked, Keefe said of Bertuzzi sitting down, “He just needs to simplify his game. Today, we had a very simple plan. He failed to execute that, so other guys had to take his place.” If Bertuzzi can’t follow simple instructions, what is he doing there? Bourne walked through multiple series’ where Bertuzzi lost his man or got confused on his assignment. When viewing them, it’s no wonder the coach is frustrated.
Bertuzzi on Blast for Marchand Relationship
When asked about Brad Marchand right around the time that the Bruins’ forward took out Timothy Liljegren, Bertuzzi had made a comment that Marchand was a “good guy”. Noting that he was surprised to learn that about the Bruins’ extremely talented pest when he first joined the team last season, Bertuzzi laughed at the fact that Marchand is just full of sh– and seemed to hint that he’s not really all that dangerous.
With Liljegren now on LTIR, clearly Marchand is somewhat dangerous. Whether you agree that Marchand was responsible for the injury or it was fluke play, the Leafs as an organization were not at all happy with the way the team responded. Worse yet, a clip of Bertuzzi on the bench laughing at Marchand has gone viral. Fans are doubling down on the fact that Bertuzzi not only didn’t respond to the play by going after a former teammate, he chuckled at the incident.
Fans are calling him out for not being the type of teammate this team needs. He’s been demoted, he’s not scoring and he’s laughing at dangerous plays on the ice. It’s easy to see why people are frustrated.
