Top line LW Tyler Bertuzzi signed at $5.5 mil by our new GM Treliving was an attempt to replace Zach Hyman that our past GM foolish mistakenly let walk thinking $5 mil was too much.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored 43 regular season points playing Hyman's LW position on the top line while Hyman racked up 54 regular season goals alone this past season.
We shouldn't be in this position, and there shouldn't be a Leaf fan alive that wouldn't prefer Zach back and locked in at $5 mil.
However now in damage control BT has to find another LW for the top line, and likely forced to pay MORE $$ for less production, which in turm makes the Leafs less Cup competive in a Salary Cap World. We're going to feel the impact of past GM incompetence for a long time still and new GM can only do so much to minimize the damage left behing that he inherited.
Big, heavy North-South hockey, with player willing to finish their checks and win puck battles and crash the net perfectly descibes Zach Hyman who would have fit hand in glove to new Coach Berube preferred style of play. Finding a suitable replacement will not be eazy.