from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
But after three consecutive losses, including a pair of dreadful showings in Ottawa by a combined score of 12-3, Yzerman seems poised to deal Bertuzzi.
Maybe he’ll get another protected first-round pick and a prospect. Maybe he’ll land a player or two who can step into the lineup and is under contract beyond this season. Yzerman is not apt to trade Bertuzzi for a rental he’ll just lose at the end of the season.
Bertuzzi would figure to draw interest from several playoff-caliber clubs. While he hasn’t appeared in a Stanley Cup playoff game, his knack for going to the hard areas (corners, net front) and getting involved physically is suited for the postseason.
The Red Wings’ problem is that Bertuzzi’s trade value can’t be as high as it was a year ago due to an injury-plagued season in which he’s missed a total of 29 games on separate occasions with broken left and right hands. It has clearly affected his play; he has only four goals and 14 points in 29 games and a minus-12 rating that’s worst among the club’s forwards.
The Red Wings might opt to scratch Bertuzzi on Thursday as asset protection to avoid injury.
Bertuzzi is the Red Wings’ most prominent trading chip. Other pending unrestricted free agents who might draw interest include center Pius Suter, winger Oskar Sundqvist and defenseman Robert Hagg. Defensemen Olli Maatta (two years/$6 million) and Jake Walman (three years/$10.2 million) are off the market after signing extensions recently.
Yzerman would like to move forward Jakub Vrana, who has no points in three games since being recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins. But he has one year remaining at $5.25 million and the Red Wings would need to retain a significant amount of salary.
Elliotte Friedman just now and just his opinion, the Leafs have interest in Bert. As does Dallas.
Dallas would have to clear cap space, right?
The rumor was MIN and WIN were interested yesterday.
I'll take a bidding war between MIN, WIN, and TOR.
And didn't the Leafs just acquire a first rounder?
Boston's this year. they have their own next year--but no 2nd rounders next 3 years.
Wings would probably be willing to retain on him too for the right price.
Sincerely hope the Wings try to find a way to keep TyBert, but I'm anxious to see more of Soderblom as well as Mazur and Kasper.
Soderblom was held out of the Griffins lineup tonight. Could be involved in a trade. Could be a call up once Bertuzzi is traded. Could be sick.
but he was held out of their game.
Box score of 3/1/23 Griffins game
He did play on 2/25 and had a goal.
Good eye. Would make sense to bring him back up if Ras is week to week and they're expecting another winger (or three) potentially being on the move.
I'll bet your right that it was because Ras got his medical eval back and he's going to be out on LTIR with a serious knee injury.
from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,
This week, Yzerman got two of his three significant UFAs to sign new deals. Defenseman Jake Walman agreed to a three-year pact on Tuesday. That leaves only winger Tyler Bertuzzi. Theres a growing sense that Bertuzzi is going to be left out in the cold.
Are Red Wings Moving Bertuzzi?
In fact, speculation that Bertuzzi will no longer be a Red Wings player come Fridays 4 p.m. ET NHL trade
There was an intriguing development in Grand Rapids on Wednesday. Hulking rookie forward Elmer Soderblom was held out of the lineup by the AHL Griffins, top farm club of the Red Wings.
Is he to be part of an impending deal? Might he be sitting because Soderblom will be getting the call to Detroit once the Bertuzzi trade goes down? Or maybe hes just got the flu. At this time of year, all answers are greeted with raised eyebrows.
Where Might Bertuzzi Be Going?
While its true that several deals have already gone down, the fact of the matter is that there still remain many potential landing spots for Bertuzzi. While injuries have hampered his 2022-23 campaign, he was still a 30-goal scorer last season. He plays with an edge. Bertuzzi could prove a valuable asset in any teams playoff run. Heres five teams that made sense as a destination for Bertuzzi.
more
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.