Bertuzzi, Keefe share thoughts on Bert's late-season surge for Leafs
Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs
For Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi, it's truly been a tale of two seasons after a very slow start has given way to a late-season scoring flurry. The 29-year-old has tallied 12 goals in his last 19 games, bringing his goal total up to 18, putting a 20-goal season well within his reach. Not bad for a guy who only scored 2 goals through his first 12 games as a Leaf. In fact, up until February 15th, he was sitting at just 6 goals. His goal total has since tripled.
Bertuzzi potted a pair last night against Washington, including one from below the goal line on a bank shot off of Capitals netminder Charlie Lindgren, and following the game, he was asked about his recent spike in production. Both he and head coach Sheldon Keefe seem to be crediting some newfound puck luck for his recent surge.
"I have no idea. I've been doing kind of the same thing and just getting lucky." - Bertuzzi
"Puck luck's a big part of it. Today he gets one from below the goal line. I mean, he couldn't get one from above the goal line wide open with empty nets before." - Keefe
Bertuzzi has been playing some excellent hockey of late and has been heating up at just the right time for the Leafs as they are now just 10 games away from the playoffs. Bertuzzi's stock had certainly dipped throughout the season as he fought through stretches of limited production, but his late-season surge and whatever he does in the postseason may very well boost his value back up to what it was last summer and perhaps even higher.
The Leafs have been very vocal with their love for what Bertuzzi brings to the table each and every night, so it wouldn't be a shock if the Leafs did attempt to extend the Sudbury, Ontario native. The big questions, though, are how much will Bertuzzi, a pending UFA, be asking for and can the Leafs afford it?
| POLL | ||
MARS 29 | 385 ANSWERS Bertuzzi, Keefe share thoughts on Bert's late-season surge for Leafs What's the highest AAV you'd consider for Tyler Bertuzzi to keep him in Toronto? | ||
| The $5.5M he's making now | 256 | 66.5 % |
| I'd be fine with $6M | 99 | 25.7 % |
| I'd go as high as $7M | 17 | 4.4 % |
| Any higher than $7M and I'd let him walk | 13 | 3.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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