Forward Tyler Bertuzzi signed a big four-year, $22 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks at the beginning of free agency on July 1, one year after signing a prove-it deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But Bertuzzi didn’t anticipate, as a Maple Leaf, to lock up a long-term contract with Chicago before hitting free agency. As Bertuzzi disclosed on July 5, Chicago “wasn’t on his radar,” but after speaking with someone, he signed with the team.
Bertuzzi stated, “Chicago wasn’t really on my radar.” “And then, Nick Foligno called me the day before free agency and said, ‘They’re kind of interested.'” That thrilled me, and that’s kind of where things went from there.
Throughout the 2022–2023 season, Bertuzzi and Foligno were teammates on the Boston Bruins. The 36-year-old veteran Foligno previously participated in the 2023–24 Blackhawks season. He made 74 appearances, totaling 37 points from 17 goals and 20 assists.
Conversely, former Maple Leafs forward Bertuzzi finished his one-year deal in Toronto, making 80 appearances and tallying 43 points (22 goals, 22 assists).
Play General Manager Kyle Davidson of the Blackhawks expressed gratitude to Foligno for his assistance on July 5, mentioning that the veteran has “many friends around the league,” including Bertuzzi.
Davidson told reporters, “I think Nick’s got a lot of friends around the league.” “I believe he’s a guy with a huge network. That sounds kind of funny to us. Nick cares even though we don’t ask them to do these things. He loves the team, is well-connected, and wants to see this through to the end.
Blackhawks Place a Bet on Background to Encircle Connor Bedard
Foligno, along with rookie sensation Connor Bedard, joined the Blackhawks in June of 2023. In January 2024, he inked a new contract for a two-year extension that would run for two seasons, ending at the conclusion of the 2025–2026 campaign.
Alongside Foligno, Bertuzzi has signed a four-year contract with the Blackhawks. In an attempt to sign veterans who will aid in Bedard’s development and provide the right atmosphere for the rookie to lead the Hawks back to contention in a few years, Chicago appears to be starting the second phase of their rebuild.
GM Davidson claims the Blackhawks “elevated our group” in free agency | NHL.com
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Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson signed defensemen T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez, goalie Laurent Brossoit, and forwards Craig Smith, Teuvo Teravainen, and Pat Maroon in addition to Foligno in the summer of 2023 and Bertuzzi in July of 2024.
According to Spotrac, only fellow free agent signing Joseph Anderson is younger than 29. All of the players mentioned above, with the exception of Bertuzzi, signed contracts that lasted longer than three seasons.
“Our goal is to improve,” Davidson declared. Instead of trying to stop the momentum or letting teams get the better of us, we want to be able to enter games and exert more of our will than in the past. We obviously want to win more games by being able to play with the puck more, control the puck a little more, and so on.
Toronto’s Tyler Bertuzzi “Out Priced” Himself
The Maple Leafs decided not to re-sign Bertuzzi in 2023–24 despite the fact that he did nothing wrong. Rather, he took the opposite action.
After spending one season with the Maple Leafs, Darren Dreger of TSN reported on June 30 that Bertuzzi would not be re-signing, primarily because his output had “out priced” him out of town.
“The Maple Leafs will not be getting Tyler Bertuzzi back.” His worth has surpassed Toronto’s price. In the next four years, he will sign a deal somewhere else for over $5 million per territory, according to Dreger.
Just one day later, Bertuzzi’s four-year contract with the Blackhawks solidified the report.
On the other hand, Bertuzzi’s possible departure has been written since the middle of June. The Leafs were reportedly “nervous” about the term Max Domi and Bertuzzi might demand from Toronto, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
June 12 Friedman said, “The one thing is, I know Domi wants some term.” “Look, I believe Max Domi to be the ideal Leaf. He will be content to stay here for a very long time. Toronto is probably anxious about the term. I believe it happens if they are able to come up with a term number that makes sense for both parties.
Friedman declared, “Bertuzzi is the interesting one.” “It appears that they also wish to have him return. Once more, though, I believe the Leafs are making a concerted effort to exercise extreme caution when it comes to terms. I was cautioned that, in the event that they lose a few of these players, it will likely be due to term rather than AAV.
On July 1, the Leafs signed Domi to a four-year, $15 million contract after letting Bertuzzi go.
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