Getty Tyler Bertuzzi with the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to find a replacement for pending free agent forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who, according to former NHL and Maple Leafs player Jay Rosehill, has a deal ready to go with the Chicago Blackhawks.
According to Rosehill, Bertuzzi will sign his contract once free agency starts on July 1.
I’m hearing Tyler Bertuzzi will sign with Chicago tomorrow at Noon ET…
@DailyFaceoff
“I’m hearing Tyler Bertuzzi will sign with Chicago tomorrow at Noon ET,” Rosehill wrote on X on July 1.
Former Sportsnet analyst and current “Leafs Morning Take” host Nick Alberga reported that Bertuzzi’s contract with the Blackhawks is expected to be a four-year deal.
Bertuzzi signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Maple Leafs on July 2, 2023. At the end of the season, there was mutual interest in an extension, but the forward played well enough to price himself out of Toronto.
The Leafs forward will leave Canada with 80 regular-season games under his belt. He scored 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in Toronto, adding 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in 7 postseason matchups.
Tyler Bertuzzi ‘Out Priced’ Maple Leafs
Tyler Bertuzzi won’t be returning to the Maple Leafs. His value has out priced Toronto. He will land a deal elsewhere in the 4 year and over $5 mil per territory.
Late on June 30, one day before the free-agent market opens, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Bertuzzi wouldn’t be re-signing with the Maple Leafs after playing one season with the team.
“Tyler Bertuzzi won’t be returning to the Maple Leafs. His value has out priced Toronto. He will land a deal elsewhere in the 4 year and over $5 mil per territory,” Dreger reported.
After playing a bridge season in Toronto during the 2023-24 campaign, Bertuzzi finally got his long-term deal, spanning four years.
Bertuzzi was drafted 58th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and was signed to a three-year contract with the team in October 2014, making his NHL debut in November 2016. He scored his first NHL career goal in January 2018 against the Blackhawks. Prior to signing for one year with the Maple Leafs, Bertuzzi was traded to the Boston Bruins in March 2023 and played 21 regular season and seven playoff games with the team.
Maple Leafs-Bertuzzi: Mutual Interest but Impossible Reunion
There was a mutual interest between Bertuzzi and the Leafs to keep their partnership going, Bertuzzi told media during his end-of-season interview in May 2024.
Tyler Bertuzzi says re-signing in Toronto is “definitely something I’m open to”
“That’s definitely something I’m open to,” Bertuzzi said about potentially re-signing. “I really enjoyed myself this year. Coming into a new place, especially Toronto, it’s not easy. It took me a little bit on the ice to get going. But off the ice, the guys were great. Everything was top-notch. Me and my family really enjoyed our time here.”
The Maple Leafs faced a tough decision having to choose one of their two pending free agents at the position. The franchise opted to re-sign Max Domi, offering him a four-year deal with an average annual value of $3.75 million on June 30.
With Bertuzzi all but gone and Domi and fellow Leaf Timothy Liljegren back in the books, Toronto enters July 1 with $12 million in cap space.
Toronto has 11 forwards under contract. They also have six defensemen in their active roster and will add a seventh defender to the blueline corps after they sign Chris Tanev.
Finally, the Maple Leafs will also need to sign a goalie as Toronto only has Joseph Woll under contract for next season with the tandem of Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov entering unrestricted free agents.