Derek Lalonde did not hesitate when asked what it means for the Detroit Red Wings to regain the services of Tyler Bertuzzi.
“Offense,” Lalonde said. “Goals. I’ve liked our team play, we’re defending well, we’re not giving up a lot, but he’s an elite scorer, our best scorer. As great as our defense has been and the chances against, our chances for have been down, which is understandable. He would help with some offense.”
Bertuzzi hasn’t played since he suffered a broken hand blocking a shot Oct. 15, in the second game of the season. He’s projected to be available during the upcoming California trip, most likely the Tuesday game at Anaheim.
“I’m excited to come back,” Bertuzzi said. “The guys have been doing really well, gelling well together.”
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Bertuzzi, 27, is coming off a 30-goal season, the third time in his career he’s reached at least 20 in one season. He’s 6-foot-1, 187 pounds of grit with a gift for getting into scoring spots. It is a talent that Bertuzzi’s agent, Todd Richards, and general manager Steve Yzerman are trying to price as the forward is in the final year of a contract with unrestricted free agency upon expiration. Bertuzzi said he thinks about negotiations “a little bit,” though his focus has been on getting healthy, and enjoying time with eight-month-old daughter Kinsley Lea.
“I got surgery, I got a pin put in, so after a week, I was pretty good, I could pick her up and what not,” Bertuzzi said.
“I broke my hand. It’s just one of those things you can’t control. It was a random shot and it got me in the right spot. It’s going to take me four weeks, probably, so not as bad as we anticipated.”
Bertuzzi downplayed the possibility of being traded should an extension not materialize in the coming months, but Yzerman isn’t going to let Bertuzzi, or fellow pending UFA Dylan Larkin, run out their contracts and risk losing either for nothing in free agency. Larkin’s side can use the eight-year, $73.2 million contract that the New York Islanders just gave Mathew Barzal as a comparable, but the Wings want Larkin around an $8 million annual salary cap hit, not north of $9 million. Bertuzzi’s injury didn’t help his negotiations, especially after he missed 14 games last season (nine of them because his decision not to get the COVID vaccine meant he could not play games in Canada) and all but nine games in 2021, when his season was derailed by a back injury that required major surgery. The Wings are looking to get Bertuzzi under contract somewhere in the $6.5-7 million cap hit range.
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Lalonde said he hadn’t decided where to slot Bertuzzi on his return, but Bertuzzi and Larkin have undeniable chemistry, and adding as good a goal scorer as Bertuzzi is a big plus.
While he will have missed four weeks, at least “I’ve been able to skate and stay in shape,” Bertuzzi said. “Now it’s just a matter of when I feel good enough to play and can step right back in. It’s good.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.