Player Discussion Tyler Bertuzzi Appreciation Thread

[Jimmy Firecracker]

After a cold start and terrible shooting luck, Bertuzzi has bounced back and has tied his second highest career goal total with goals number 20 and 21. Don't think anyone thought he would hit 20 when he was sitting on 6 goals halfway through February. He's also playing with capital P passion and he's found a home beside the best goal scorer of this generation. A remarkable turnaround for a guy who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn and looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.

And if these quotes from his former coaches mean anything, he's going to have a monster playoffs for us.

In his element when things get rough. In his element when the stakes of the game rise. It’s what made him so attractive to the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer.

“Tyler just has that knack for elevating his game during the playoffs,” said Todd Nelson, his head coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Bertuzzi was named MVP of the AHL playoffs when the Griffins captured the Calder Cup in 2017.

Three years before that, he helped the Storm to their first OHL championship in a decade. And while the first five full seasons of his NHL career were marked by the absence of playoff hockey, Bertuzzi went to the league-stomping Boston Bruins at last year’s trade deadline and, in his first-ever NHL postseason, turned in five goals and 10 points in seven games.

“Adding a guy like Tyler to your team, if you’re the Toronto Maple Leafs, I can just speak from my experience, you’re adding a guy who’s got an every-game competitiveness to him,” said Jeff Blashill, Bertuzzi’s longtime coach with the Red Wings. “You don’t ever have to worry about whether he’s gonna show up that night.

“He’s gonna show up and compete every night.”

Click to read more...

 

[1specter]

Genuinely happy for him especially after everyone was ruthlessly shitting on the guy when he was just having some horrible luck, he's worked his ass off and didn't mail it in or get mopey / defeated, and he got rewarded by getting to play with Matthews. Still think he should be playing PP1, our power play was at its best when it was Liljegren-Marner-Bertuzzi-Matthews-Nylander, but Liljegren and Marner got hurt and Bert got bumped down, and then our PP went to complete shit.

It's crazy that Tre's two biggest acquisitions are now both killing it on our first line.

 

[al secord]

Jinx thread?

 

[Malachi Crunch]

Sign him and Domi. Immediately.

 

[ACC1224]

Careful, some people lose their minds when they see ‘Appreciation’ in the title.

 

[Anthrax442]

I hope "playoff Bert" is another gear for this guy

 

[crump]

Looking forward to the Bert and Domi show in the playoffs. He’s finally got some puck luck. How many posts did he hit before February.

It took them a while to finally gel with their new teams but they are humming at the most important time of the season.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

His luck seemed to change right around the time he cut off that long hippie hair he had. Maybe he should get a buzz cut for the playoffs.

I wonder if he realized how much he was hurting his next contract in the winter because he started to play with more determination. I distinctly remember Keefe blowing a gasket on Bert at the bench for a lazy play. He is a totally different player since the haircut.

 

[Leafsfan74]

I never got on his case early. It takes time to start with a new team and I didn't care much about his stats prior to the playoffs. Thankfully he was picked up ion the offseason. I wanted Dubas to get him last year I believe as he is a playoff performer.

All three of Bert, Domi and Reaves are playoff guys for different reasons. These elements are vital and I am noticing the team as a whole becoming far more net driven than in the past.

This is what is needed to win Cups. North/South, physical play, defense oriented teams wins Cups. Bert is fearless driving the net, doesn't back down from anyone and he has a team of a few big brothers who will back him up.

 

[Menzinger]

A rough start, a strong finish. When he's playing well, no denying it's a lot of fun to watch

His future with the Leafs likely determined by his post season impact

 

[Funk21]

He was awful to start the season. Take of two seasons. Hopefully he stays hot into the playoffs and these guys make some noise.

 

[Stephen]

He really went from being walking cap space who did a lot of little things well but didn’t add up to anything impactful to being a scrappy Pat Quinn era style forward front and Center on that first like magic. He and Domi having success really changed the NBA bench dynamic that had plagued this team for so long.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Will admit I was wrong on him at the start of the year, I don’t think it’s was bad luck but it wasn’t him overachieving previously either. Iirc someone mentioned he had hand injuries he was dealing with, that sounds more accurate than luck, his shooting and puck handling on the wall and netfront was real bad the first few months.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I suggest removing the word appreciation from the title so objective discussion can be had without whining from the people who get all snowflaky when anyone does anything but heap praise all over the guy. I mean, maybe that's just the Marnerites but why take the chance?

If you think the guy's gonna have a monster playoffs for us then that's great, hopefully that's what happens but there'll be plenty of time for appreciation after it happens.

 

[Leafsfan74]

I suggest removing the word appreciation from the title so objective discussion can be had without whining from the people who get all snowflaky when anyone does anything but heap praise all over the guy. I mean, maybe that's just the Marnerites but why take the chance?

If you think the guy's gonna have a monster playoffs for us then that's great, hopefully that's what happens but there'll be plenty of time for appreciation after it happens.

This is a valid point.

After 8 years straight of playoff failures, it's difficult to refer to ANY Leaf with an "appreciation thread" in truth.

 

[IrishInOntario]

I appreciate the way Bertuzzi is playing as much as anyone, but those that think Bertuzzi and Domi can both be re-signed, obviously don't think serious attention needs to be paid to the defense core. I disagree.

Let's be real, Domi probably does not cost less than $4 million × 4 years. A guy who is playing top line minutes and is going to be damn near 50 points will not come any cheaper than that. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi isn't taking a pay cut from the $5.5 million he's making now. Let's say for argument sake he's willing to sign $5.5 × 3 in Toronto. Let's look at the cap. We'll even assume Toronto is able to move Jarnkrok and Kampf, to save some money from the bottom 6 in the forward group.

2024-2025 Salary Cap

Forwards
Auston Matthews: $13,250,000
William Nylander: $11,500,000
John Tavares: $11,000,000
Mitch Marner: $10,903,000
Tyler Bertuzzi: $5,500,000
Max Domi: $4,000,000
Bobby McMann: $1,300,000
Nick Robertson: $1,200,000 (guess)
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
Eastan Cowan: $935,833
Pontus Holmberg: $800,000
Connor Dewar: $800,000

Defense
Morgan Rielly: $7,500,000
Jake McCabe: $2,000,000
Simon Benoit: $1,300,000
FA / Trade (like Liljegren)
FA / Trade
FA / Trade
Connor Timmins: $1,100,000

Goalies
FA / Trade
Joseph Woll: $766,667

Expected Salary Cap: $87,700,000
Total Cap Hit: $75,854,667
Salary Cap Remaining: $11,845,333

So even if you can move Jarnkrok and Kampf, bury Reaves and sign two FA's in your forward group (or ELCs) for $1 million each, you still have less than $12 million dollars to sign 3 defensemen and a goalie, while trying to upgrade your backend. And that's IF you can get Domi to extend at $4.0 million and Bertuzzi to extend at $5.5 million. So unless you feel that the emergence of Domi and Bertuzzi is enough to make Marner expendable in a trade that returns a stud defenseman and an NHL ready top 9 forward that combine to equal roughly his cap hit, I don't see how it's doable, without AGAIN neglecting your d-core.

 

[ACC1224]

This is a valid point.

After 8 years straight of playoff failures, it's difficult to refer to ANY Leaf with an "appreciation thread" in truth.

Fans showing a player some appreciation.....the horror!

Why pick 8 years? They've had playoff failures for almost 60 years now.

 

[ToneDog]

I appreciate the way Bertuzzi is playing as much as anyone, but those that think Bertuzzi and Domi can both be re-signed, obviously don't think serious attention needs to be paid to the defense core. I disagree.

Let's be real, Domi probably does not cost less than $4 million × 4 years. A guy who is playing top line minutes and is going to be damn near 50 points will not come any cheaper than that. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi isn't taking a pay cut from the $5.5 million he's making now. Let's say for argument sake he's willing to sign $5.5 × 3 Toronto. Let's look at the cap. We'll even assume Toronto is able to move Jarnkrok and Kampf, to save some money from the bottom 6 in the forward group.

2024-2025 Salary Cap

Forwards
Auston Matthews: $13,250,000
William Nylander: $11,500,000
John Tavares: $11,000,000
Mitch Marner: $10,903,000
Tyler Bertuzzi: $5,500,000
Max Domi: $4,000,000
Bobby McMann: $1,300,000
Nick Robertson: $1,200,000 (guess)
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
Eastan Cowan: $935,833
Pontus Holmberg: $800,000
Connor Dewar: $800,000

Defense
Morgan Rielly: $7,500,000
Jake McCabe: $2,000,000
Simon Benoit: $1,300,000
FA / Trade (like Liljegren)
FA / Trade
FA / Trade
Connor Timmins: $1,100,000

Goalies
FA / Trade
Joseph Woll: $766,667

Expected Salary Cap: $87,700,000
Total Cap Hit: $75,854,667
Salary Cap Remaining: $11,845,333

So even if you can move Jarnkrok and Kampf, bury Reaves and sign two FA's in your forward group (or ELCs) for $1 million each, you still have less than $12 million dollars to sign 3 Defenseman and a goalie, while trying to upgrade your backend. And that's IF you can get Domi to extend at $4.0 million and Bertuzzi to extend at $5.5 million. So unless you feel that emergence of Domi and Bertuzzi is enough to make Marner expendable in a trade that returns a stud defenseman and an NHL ready top 9 forward that combine to equal roughly his cap hit, I don't see how it's doable, without AGAIN neglecting your d-core.

It is the cost of keeping the 3 amigos together when $$$ still trump winning, 6 years later. Next year, the challenge will be to surround them with better players for less money with player salaries rising and a Tavares that probably struggles to get to 20 goals. Good luck Tre.

 

[TMLAM34]

In recent years we’ve seen this organization let players of this mold walk in free agency, Hyman and Bunting, but hopefully we can re-sign Bertuzzi. Even when he wasn’t producing offensively, there was no denying his work ethic out on the ice. He’s a player you want on your side when you go into battle.

 

[horner]

I appreciate the way Bertuzzi is playing as much as anyone, but those that think Bertuzzi and Domi can both be re-signed, obviously don't think serious attention needs to be paid to the defense core. I disagree.

Let's be real, Domi probably does not cost less than $4 million × 4 years. A guy who is playing top line minutes and is going to be damn near 50 points will not come any cheaper than that. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi isn't taking a pay cut from the $5.5 million he's making now. Let's say for argument sake he's willing to sign $5.5 × 3 Toronto. Let's look at the cap. We'll even assume Toronto is able to move Jarnkrok and Kampf, to save some money from the bottom 6 in the forward group.

2024-2025 Salary Cap

Forwards
Auston Matthews: $13,250,000
William Nylander: $11,500,000
John Tavares: $11,000,000
Mitch Marner: $10,903,000
Tyler Bertuzzi: $5,500,000
Max Domi: $4,000,000
Bobby McMann: $1,300,000
Nick Robertson: $1,200,000 (guess)
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
Eastan Cowan: $935,833
Pontus Holmberg: $800,000
Connor Dewar: $800,000

Defense
Morgan Rielly: $7,500,000
Jake McCabe: $2,000,000
Simon Benoit: $1,300,000
FA / Trade (like Liljegren)
FA / Trade
FA / Trade
Connor Timmins: $1,100,000

Goalies
FA / Trade
Joseph Woll: $766,667

Expected Salary Cap: $87,700,000
Total Cap Hit: $75,854,667
Salary Cap Remaining: $11,845,333

So even if you can move Jarnkrok and Kampf, bury Reaves and sign two FA's in your forward group (or ELCs) for $1 million each, you still have less than $12 million dollars to sign 3 Defenseman and a goalie, while trying to upgrade your backend. And that's IF you can get Domi to extend at $4.0 million and Bertuzzi to extend at $5.5 million. So unless you feel that emergence of Domi and Bertuzzi is enough to make Marner expendable in a trade that returns a stud defenseman and an NHL ready top 9 forward that combine to equal roughly his cap hit, I don't see how it's doable, without AGAIN neglecting your d-core.

Trade
Kampf
Jarnkrok

I would rather have Bert and Domi

 

[Leafsfan74]

I appreciate the way Bertuzzi is playing as much as anyone, but those that think Bertuzzi and Domi can both be re-signed, obviously don't think serious attention needs to be paid to the defense core. I disagree.

Let's be real, Domi probably does not cost less than $4 million × 4 years. A guy who is playing top line minutes and is going to be damn near 50 points will not come any cheaper than that. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi isn't taking a pay cut from the $5.5 million he's making now. Let's say for argument sake he's willing to sign $5.5 × 3 Toronto. Let's look at the cap. We'll even assume Toronto is able to move Jarnkrok and Kampf, to save some money from the bottom 6 in the forward group.

2024-2025 Salary Cap

Forwards
Auston Matthews: $13,250,000
William Nylander: $11,500,000
John Tavares: $11,000,000
Mitch Marner: $10,903,000
Tyler Bertuzzi: $5,500,000
Max Domi: $4,000,000
Bobby McMann: $1,300,000
Nick Robertson: $1,200,000 (guess)
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
ELC / FA: $1,000,000
Eastan Cowan: $935,833
Pontus Holmberg: $800,000
Connor Dewar: $800,000

Defense
Morgan Rielly: $7,500,000
Jake McCabe: $2,000,000
Simon Benoit: $1,300,000
FA / Trade (like Liljegren)
FA / Trade
FA / Trade
Connor Timmins: $1,100,000

Goalies
FA / Trade
Joseph Woll: $766,667

Expected Salary Cap: $87,700,000
Total Cap Hit: $75,854,667
Salary Cap Remaining: $11,845,333

So even if you can move Jarnkrok and Kampf, bury Reaves and sign two FA's in your forward group (or ELCs) for $1 million each, you still have less than $12 million dollars to sign 3 Defenseman and a goalie, while trying to upgrade your backend. And that's IF you can get Domi to extend at $4.0 million and Bertuzzi to extend at $5.5 million. So unless you feel that emergence of Domi and Bertuzzi is enough to make Marner expendable in a trade that returns a stud defenseman and an NHL ready top 9 forward that combine to equal roughly his cap hit, I don't see how it's doable, without AGAIN neglecting your d-core.

Marner or Nylander needed to be traded. Now, if they win a Cup with this core, I will admit my errors and take out a small ad in a paper apologizing to Shanny, MLSE and Brad.

Otherwise, it is about negotiating friendly contracts. One positive of seeing Bert and Domi help Matthews have his best stretch of the season is it may convince Matty that he doesn't need an Adam Oates or Juri Kurri on his wing, he just needs competent types who compliment his line.

It has and remains all about the playoffs for me. If somehow this team wins a Cup, the world changes drastically for everyone.

 

[francis246]

Marner or Nylander needed to be traded. Now, if they win a Cup with this core, I will admit my errors and take out a small ad in a paper apologizing to Shanny, MLSE and Brad.

Otherwise, it is about negotiating friendly contracts. One positive of seeing Bert and Domi help Matthews have his best stretch of the season is it may convince Matty that he doesn't need an Adam Oates or Juri Kurri on his wing, he just needs competent types who compliment his line.

It has and remains all about the playoffs for me. If somehow this team wins a Cup, the world changes drastically for everyone.

No they don’t need to be traded. Tavares has to expire, that’s really all we need. You have to sit tight one more year. Convince Domi and Bert or just 1 to sign a longer term deal at a lower AAV. Give them security

 

[Leafsfan74]

No they don’t need to be traded. Tavares has to expire, that’s really all we need. You have to sit tight one more year. Convince Domi and Bert or just 1 to sign a longer term deal at a lower AAV. Give them security

This may be the longest "retool" in the history of major sports and you suggest that the status quo after 8 years has been working?

Needed is in the past. I'd still trade Marner if I could, no question. That's just me. Then you have JT and Marner off of the books.

 

[francis246]

This may be the longest "retool" in the history of major sports and you suggest that the status quo after 8 years has been working?

Needed is in the past. I'd still trade Marner if I could, no question. That's just me. Then you have JT and Marner off of the books.

The window to trade these guys passed the moment their full NMC’s kicked in. It’s not impossible, they could be convinced but you won’t get the value you could have gotten if one was moved after the MTL series.

 

[Maple Leaf]

This guy was garbage the first half
Good