Well, it looks as though Tyler Bertuzzi’s run with the Toronto Maple Leafs is going to be a short one. In fact, word is that while both sides were interested in getting a deal done to keep the feisty forward in blue and white, Bertuzzi had priced himself out of what the Maple Leafs could afford following the extension they gave to Max Domi.
To further the speculation, after having played for three Atlantic Division teams over the past few seasons, it’s believed that Bertuzzi could be headed to a Western Conference team and could command in the range of four years and somewhere around the $5-million mark per season.
With that, here’s a look at three possible landing spots for the, now, former Maple Leafs’ forward.
Chicago Blackhawks
Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to go play with Connor Bedard? The Chicago Blackhawks have seven open roster spots as of now and a lot of cap space to land some big free agents to sure up a roster that was well below mediocre in 2023-24.
They’ve already added the likes of another former Maple Leafs forward in Ilya Mikheyev this offseason and with Frank Nazar likely getting a shot at the big club for the upcoming season, it’s not out of this realm that Bertuzzi could land a veteran role on this young up-and-coming team.
Now, the Blackhawks will likely be in the market more for defensemen, but adding Bertuzzi would give the team another offensive player up front to help take some of the weight off of Bedard, Jason Dickinson and Philipp Kurashev. Surely, the Blackhawks have the room to make a deal with the 29-year-old.
Related: THW’s 2024 Free Agent Tracker
While the addition of Bertuzzi would be beneficial to the Blackhawks, the team is still likely another year away from playoff contention and you have to think that Bertuzzi is itching to get back into the postseason. That alone might be the one reason why we don’t see him sign with the Blackhawks when the market opens tomorrow.
Utah Hockey Club
Another team that will be quite active in free agency this offseason is the Utah Hockey Club. As the Coyotes in 2023-24, they were even sniffing a playoff spot in the Western Conference until they went on an extended losing streak taking them right out of the playoff picture.
So, the potential for the playoffs is there. The roster has six open spots ahead of July 1 and the team has more than $20 million in cap space heading into free agency. With 11 forwards currently under contract, the team will need another piece or two — unless they plan to promote from their prospect pool.
As of now, their roster has one player over the age of 30 — Nick Bjugstad. While Bertuzzi won’t be 30 until February, it wouldn’t hurt for players like Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton and Matias Maccelli to have another veteran on the team — especially one with playoff experience like Bertuzzi.
They question will be whether or not Bertuzzi believes the team has an opportunity to make the postseason and if Utah is willing to invest four years at what seems to be his going rate — $5 million per season — which would make him the fifth highest paid player on the team.
Dallas Stars
Finally, the Dallas Stars once again seemed to be just one extra player shy of making a solid playoff run in 2023-24. They bought out Ryan Suter already this offseason and currently have 10 roster spots open heading into free agency. That’s with Logan Stankoven expected to make the team out of camp for the 2024-25 season.
Now, adding another forward at $5 million per season would be tough for the Stars who only have three defensemen under contract and traded Chris Tanev’s rights to the Maple Leafs this week. Surely, their focus will be on signing some players to sure up their back end.
However, with just under $18 million in cap space, and three solid option on the back end, adding Bertuzzi could be the move that puts them over the edge up front — giving them four legitimate lines for the 2024-25 season.
The Stars will be in the mix again for the playoffs and should be a strong candidate to come out of the Western Conference, alongside the Edmonton Oilers, but is it in the cards to add a forward like Bertuzzi with that kind of annual average value?
With the market opening up on July 1, it’s going to be a crazy couple weeks for the NHL and all 32 teams, but for Bertuzzi and his camp it likely won’t take long for a team to scoop him up and add him to their roster in the hopes of making a run. As for who it might be, these three teams certainly make sense looking at both sides of the equation.
