Bruins trade for Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi
Tyler Bertuzzi has scored 20+ goals in three seasons with the Red Wings.
A week after dealing for both Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway, the Bruins are continuing to load up ahead of a promising Stanley Cup run.
Boston announced Thursday morning that it acquired forward Tyler Bertuzzi in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
Per additional terms of the deal, Boston’s first-rounder in 2024 is top-10 protected, while the Red Wings will retain 50 percent of Bertuzzi’s salary to assist a B’s team already facing a cap crunch.
Bertuzzi, a pending free agent this offseason, has developed into a scrappy top-six forward during his time in Detroit.
The 6-foot-1 winger has four goals and 14 points over 29 games in an injury-plagued season thus far. But the Sudbury, Ontario, native scored 30 goals in 68 games last season, and has surpassed the 20-goal threshold in two other seasons.
Even though Bertuzzi doesn’t exactly rack up the hits like Garnet Hathaway or other bottom-six scrappers (57 hits in 68 games last year), he’s gained a reputation as an effective agitator who is adept at drawing penalties and serving as a fly in the ointment.
Boston relinquishing more draft capital (including another first) for a pending free agent in Bertuzzi once again reinforces the all-in nature that Sweeney is operating with as the B’s look to maximize this contention window.
Adding a former 30-goal scorer like Bertuzzi to Boston’s bottom-six group adds significant scoring depth to an already-loaded roster. But it seems like another shoe has yet to drop when it comes to the B’s cap situation and the status of other bottom-six wingers in Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno.
In order to accommodate Bertuzzi’s contract (even at 50 percent of its original value), the Bruins may need to place one (or both) of Foligno and Hall on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on Thursday morning that Hall is seeking a second opinion on a lower-body issue that has ruled him out for three games now.
If either Hall or Foligno are ruled out for the season, Bertuzzi stands as a logical replacement on the wing. But if either injured winger is expected to return for the postseason, Boston can keep them on LTIR and activate them for the playoffs without any cap-related ramifications.
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