During his end-of-season media availability, Bertuzzi said he and his family had enjoyed their time in Toronto and would like to stay with the blue and white. When he signed his 1-year, $5M deal last off-season, the two sides had discussed a long-term deal, but due to Toronto's cap uncertainty, they settled on a one-year term.
With $19.7M in cap space available, the Leafs have a little more flexibility but also have a couple of huge holes to fill on the blueline and in net, but they have had on-going discussions with Bertuzzi's agent, Todd Reynolds, who admitted that while talks have been productive, there are no guarantees that a deal gets done in Toronto.
Although talks have been positive, The Toronto Sun's Terry Koshun revealed in his article that there has not yet been a formal offer to Bertuzzi, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that even with slightly less than $20M in cap space, the dollar amount wouldn't be the issue for the Leafs, and that it would be the term that could cause the biggest hurdle.
Koshun also noted that the feeling amongst the media is that the Leafs won't be able to keep both Bertuzzi and Max Domi given the team's needs on defense and in goal, but as we've seen in the short time he has been here, GM Brad Treliving is very good as keeping his cards close to his chest.
With the entry draft and free agency just over a week away, we will know sooner than later if Bertuzzi will stay or move on to greener pastures.
Source: Terry KoshanWill mutual interest with Maple Leafs, Bertuzzi lead to deal?
POLL | ||
19 JUIN | 442 ANSWERS Tyler Bertuzzi's agent provides an update, but there's good news and bad news Who would you prefer the Leafs keep between Bertuzzi and Domi? | ||
Bertuzzi | 132 | 29.9 % |
Domi | 310 | 70.1 % |
List of polls |