What does a successful season look like for Tyler Bertuzzi in 2023-24?
When the Toronto Maple Leafs had announced that they had signed star winger Tyler Bertuzzi to a 1-year, $5.5M contract on July 2nd, there were plenty of reasons for Leafs Nation to be excited about the deal. Not only did the Leafs pry Bertuzzi away from a heated division rival in the Boston Bruins, but they were acquiring a player who, in 2021-22, had posted nearly a point per game with 62 points in 68 games, including 30 goals.
Bertuzzi plays a style similar to that of former teammate Brad Marchand, minus the face-licking. He'll also drop the gloves if the situation calls for it. When you combine these characteristics along with his undeniable skill with the puck, his solid finishing ability and his relatively low cap hit for a player who is capable of scoring 30 goals and at least 60 points, this signing has the makings of a potential homerun for the Leafs.
The deal does come with some risk, but due to the 1-year term of the deal, it's a pretty low-risk move. The risk, of course, being whether or not Bertuzzi can remain healthy, as he has not played a full 82-game season in his 7-year NHL career.
With this in mind, what does a successful season look like for the 28-year-old Bertuzzi?
Well, I'd have to think that the bench mark has already been set. He has scored 30 goals and 62 points with a bottom-feeding Detroit Red Wings team. Anything lower than that would seem like an abject failure on a star-studded, skillful Leafs roster. However, point production isn't the only measure for success here. The Leafs also need Bertuzzi to prove that he can stay healthy. Since 73 is the most games that Bertuzzi has played in any one of his NHL seasons, I'd imagine that the benchmark for health would be no less than 73 games.
Now, none of this is to say that Bertuzzi can't exceed all of these numbers. If he does remain healthy, perhaps we'll see him play his first full 82-game season. The Leafs have an excellent medical staff and I'm sure the organization has done its due diligence with Bertuzzi to ensure that he was healthy before they made him an offer. If the medical staff can help him to manage his health and if he makes it to, say, 78-82 games, we could very well see the Sudbury native score 35, perhaps even 40 goals and in excess of 70 points riding shotgun with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. However, for the purposes of this piece, if the Leafs can get 73 games and 62 points from the 28-year-old winger, I'd call that money well spent.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 5 | 170 ANSWERS What does a successful season look like for Tyler Bertuzzi in 2023-24? How many points do you think Tyler Bertuzzi will need to score in Toronto for his season to be considered a successful one? | ||
| 50 | 44 | 25.9 % |
| 60 | 65 | 38.2 % |
| 70 | 47 | 27.6 % |
| 80+ | 14 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
