The contract
Chicago Blackhawks sign winger Tyler Bertuzzi to a four-year deal with a $5.5 million AAV.
In roster-building terms, the Blackhawks have handled the toughest part. Connor Bedard is the definition of a franchise player, and entering his second NHL season, he’s already well on his way to producing like one. He’s a first-line center, and he’s likely to fill that role for the next, oh, 15 years or thereabouts. Plenty of rebuilding teams don’t come out of the muck with a player half as good atop the flow chart.
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What Chicago still lacks, though — at forward in particular — is basically everything else. That’s where Bertuzzi comes into play; on his own merits, he’s a solid second-liner with play-driving ability, power-play upside and a solid balance between skill and grime. He was one of Toronto’s most effective forecheckers last season, and he’s one of the league’s most effective agitators in front of the net and after the whistle. Lots of teams could use a guy like him, especially when you consider that, while a natural left shot, he’s played both wing positions in the NHL.
That skill set, as a baseline, makes this deal easy to like. It also acts as a bit of a safety net for a player whose finishing touch has been, let’s say, inconsistent over his NHL career. He scored 30 goals a few years ago with the Red Wings (1.33/60) … and then dipped down to eight in 48 games in 2022-23 (0.58). Overall, he was productive with Toronto (21 goals in 80 games, 0.98/60) … but had 12- and 19-game goalless streaks. That’s life for a lot of NHL players, though, and it’s a slump that was exacerbated by a lack of power-play time. That’s unlikely to be a problem in Chicago.
All that makes him feel like a natural fit on Bedard’s left side. We’ll see how things shake out — Chicago brought in Taylor Hall last season for that purpose, but he tore his ACL 10 games into the season, and speaking more generally, most teams have more than one or two decent options as top-six wingers. Bertuzzi certainly qualifies as such, and he has the potential to be a long-term fit, too, since he’s still just 29. That, combined with a relatively low floor, makes this one easy to like. At minimum, he’ll be a versatile middle-six option. Best-case scenario, he’s an effective running mate with Bedard for the next few seasons.
Contract grade: A-
Fit grade: A
(Photo: Dan Hamilton / USA Today)
