Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney did an incredible job at the trade deadline. He was able to add depth to the Bruins’ blueline and some much-needed grit and physical presence to the bottom six with the additions of Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway. However, he wasn’t done there as he also pulled off one of the more surprising deals by acquiring Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings. While playing in his seventh NHL season, Bertuzzi has yet to make his playoff debut. Today, 10 years after being selected in the second round, 58th overall by the Red Wings, he has the opportunity of a lifetime in front of him.
Bertuzzi Set To Make Long-Awaited Playoff Debut
After playing six seasons in the NHL and 305 career games with the perennially rebuilding Red Wings, Bertuzzi is now plying his trade with a Cup favorite. “It’s been a fun ride so far. I came a little bit later in the season, but right away, I could sense the urgency, leadership, and the will to win,” Bertuzzi said (from ‘Bruins break NHL single-season wins record, down Flyers to clinch 63rd victory,’ The Athletic, April 9, 2023).
Bertuzzi first pulled an NHL jersey over his shoulders after being selected by the Red Wings at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He then returned to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for two more seasons, putting up 52 goals and 80 assists for 132 points in 97 games. He played 27 playoff games with the Storm with 16 goals and nine assists. He was also no stranger to the sin bin, piling up 140 penalty minutes (PIM), displaying the grittier side of his game.
Bertuzzi had an extended wait before he broke into the NHL. After his junior career ended, he spent parts of three seasons playing for the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, Grand Rapids Griffins. He played 137 games in Grand Rapids, scoring 32 goals and 50 assists while accumulating 204 PIM. He also got his last taste of playoff hockey during the 2016-17 AHL season, scoring nine goals and 10 assists with 50 PIM in 19 playoff games. While leading the Griffins to a Calder Cup victory, he was named the AHL playoffs MVP.
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Bertuzzi made his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season but didn’t become a regular with the Red Wings until the 2018-19 season, five long years after being drafted by the organization. However, he quickly became a fan favorite, posting back-to-back 21-goal seasons. He was named to the NHL All-Star game during the 2019-20 season and scored one goal and four assists during the event. “Just it was a lot of fun, something that you kind of dream of, I was happy to represent the Red Wings, and I really enjoyed my time here,” he said about the experience.
While scoring a career-high 30 goals and 32 assists in 68 games in 2021-22, the Red Wings continued their rebuild. Although they made strides forward, they again missed the playoffs. But on the morning of March 2, 2023, Bertuzzi’s playoff fortunes changed when the Bruins acquired him for two draft picks. It didn’t take long for the newest Bruin to make an impact, picking up an assist in his debut against the New York Rangers.
Bertuzzi Can Be A Game-Changer For Bruins
Though not as physically imposing as his uncle, former NHLer Todd Bertuzzi, Tyler has all the makings of a playoff game-changer. He showed he could elevate his game at the most crucial time of year during the Storm’s lengthy OHL playoff run in 2013-14 and again during the Griffins Calder Cup run in 2016-17.
Bertuzzi has also regained his scoring touch in Boston after a slow season in Detroit. Through 29 games with the Red Wings, he scored four goals and 10 assists, and in 21 games with the Bruins, he has four goals and 12 assists.
When David Krejci missed some games down the final stretch, Bertuzzi was given the opportunity to play alongside David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, and he quickly developed chemistry with the team’s leading scorer – through the Bruins’ final eight games, he scored three goals and seven assists.
Now that Krejci will return to the lineup for Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, Bertuzzi will likely find himself on the third line. But his presence alongside former Hart Memorial Trophy winner Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle gives the Bruins the most skilled third line in the NHL. He has also boosted the Bruins’ power play, which struggled at times through the second half of the season.
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The secondary scoring Bertuzzi provides isn’t the only valuable asset he brings to the table, as he also is known to stir the pot and often frustrates his opponents. Just ask Brad Marchand, who dropped the gloves with Bertuzzi in Dec. 2018. For the record, Marchand approved of the “great addition”, telling the media, “He shows up big when it matters, and he’s just one of those guys you hate to play against.”
We’ll see how the Bruins’ historic season ends, but for now, 10 years after being drafted and 326 regular season games later, Bertuzzi will finally make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and he is sure to be a game-changer.