The Blackhawks are set to sign Tyler Bertuzzi when the UFA market opens.
Reports suggest it will be a four-year, $22M deal. Last year, Bertuzzi played with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a one-year contract worth $5.5M. He scored 21 goals and had 43 points in 80 games, plus four more points in seven playoff games.
Before that, Bertuzzi had a mixed season split between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. Starting with Detroit, he managed only 14 points in 29 games before being traded to Boston for future draft picks. In Boston, he improved with 16 points in 21 regular-season games and shone during the playoffs by scoring ten points in seven games .
Fans might think this is an exciting move for Chicago.
Chicago’s New Addition:
Bertuzzi’s time with Detroit saw him consistently score over 45 points per season despite concerns about his physical style fitting into new teams. His solid performance with the Bruins convinced Toronto to sign him last year. However, while playing for Toronto, he struggled to find a stable role and often switched between lines as the team tried to figure out how best to use him and Max Domi.
Eventually, Domi found his place next to stars like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, pushing Bertuzzi down to the second line. Toronto extended Domi’s contract for four years but let Bertuzzi go due to their cap space issues.
Now joining an emerging Blackhawks squad as their highest-paid forward, Bertuzzi is expected to take on a leadership role among young talents like Connor Bedard and Artyom Levshunov. He might play alongside Bedard on Taylor Hall’s line or add strength to the second line supporting Frank Nazar in his rookie season.
The four-year deal keeps Bertuzzi with Chicago until he’s 33 by the end of the 2027-28 season. With this signing, Chicago has $23.4M left in cap space and still needs one forward and three defensemen spots filled—potentially by prospects or other free agents.
What do you think about this move?
