The Hockey Writers Daily - July 4, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have the Bertuzzi deal with the Maple Leafs, the Bruins offseason plans, Dubas’ early moves with the Penguins, the seven worst free agent deals so far, and much more.
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Maple Leafs and Bertuzzi May Have Talked Optics of Long-Term Deal
Maple Leafs’ fans were pleasantly surprised by the news that the Toronto Maple Leafs had signed forward Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year contract worth $5.5 million on the second day of NHL free agency. While rumors of the Leafs’ interest in Bertuzzi had circulated, the decision to sign him to a short-term deal caught many off guard, given the assumption that he was seeking a long-term agreement.
Upon closer examination, the logic behind Bertuzzi’s decision becomes clear. Joining a team with some of the league’s top forwards, he has the opportunity to excel on the ice and potentially command a higher salary next summer when the salary cap increases. With the potential for a 30-plus goal season, Bertuzzi is betting on himself and the Maple Leafs’ strong forward corps to elevate his performance and solidify his status as a star player. It’s a smart bet, considering last season he recorded 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) in just 50 games split between the Red Wings and Bruins.
NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Lightning
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed two major forward free agents on Sunday leaving them over the salary cap ceiling. There will be some LTIR assistance, but there’s still work to be done to get under the cap. How will they do it? Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins could have gotten Tyler Bertuzzi back but spent all of their cap money. Is a big trade the play now for GM Don Sweeney? Finally, what did the Tampa Bay Lightning offer Alex Killorn before he left for the Anaheim Ducks?
Bruins 2023 Offseason Plan Coming Into Focus
General manager (GM) Don Sweeney made all the right moves during the season, adding Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline, then also added Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings. All three players fit in perfectly into the Bruins system, but things just did not work and it feels like they missed a big opportunity to bring home their second Stanley Cup championship in 12 years.
Free agency began Saturday (July 1) and Sweeney gave everyone a heads-up at his end-of-the-season media availability that the 2023-24 roster was going to look a lot different than the one that skated off the TD Garden ice following their 4-3 Game 7 overtime loss to the Panthers. He wasn’t lying. It’s clear that after the dust settled from the playoff loss, Sweeney and team President Cam Neely carved out a path for the offseason. The moves that they made so far have given a big picture of what they are aiming for not only this season but beyond.
Penguins Set Up for Success with Dubas’ Early Moves
The first day of the 2023 NHL Draft proved to be a very busy day for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only did Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ new president of hockey operations, choose to use the team’s 14th overall pick, but he also made a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. He made it clear from the beginning that he had a plan for the franchise and now fans are starting to see it unfold. He knows that veteran players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will not be around forever and that building for the future is extremely necessary. However, he also recognizes that Pittsburgh still has the potential to be a Stanley Cup contender right now and he is committed to putting them in the best possible position to compete.
Grading the Oilers’ Start to 2023 Free Agency
The Edmonton Oilers had a fairly quiet Day 1 of free agency and an even quieter Day 2 if you were expecting big names to be signed. But this doesn’t mean it was an unsuccessful weekend by any means. Heading into July 1, they had a limited amount of cap space to still re-sign two key restricted free agents (RFA) and make the necessary depth additions. Almost everything we will see the Oilers do in adding players for the remainder of the offseason has come already. So let’s get into the players they signed and what to expect before grading the start of free agency as a whole.
7 Worst Contracts Signed in Free Agency
Free agency can go one of two ways: incredibly well or incredibly poorly. It all depends on a team’s approach when the market opens on July 1. More often than not, buyer’s remorse is the end result of free agency, with GMs handing out terrible contracts to middle-of-the-lineup players. This year was no exception, as plenty of bad deals got handed out on July 1. Which ones were the worst?
Meet the New Canucks: Teddy Blueger
On the opening day of free agency, the Vancouver Canucks signed Carson Soucy, Matt Irwin, and Ian Cole on defence and Teddy Blueger and Tristan Nielsen up front. For this edition of Meet the New Canucks, we will be focusing on Blueger, formally of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights.
More stuff from around the NHL:
From Sportsnet - Two sentences on every UFA signing of note during free agent frenzy
From NHL - Top American players to watch in 2023-24 NHL season debated by NHL.com
From ESPN - 2023 NHL free agency: Fantasy impact, outlooks, more
From TSN - Sens' DeBrincat eyeing Meier contract, with suitors offering less
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