from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

Down in the count Sunday, Treliving knocked one deep by signing Tyler Bertuzzi — the best UFA available following the initial 24 hours of madness — for significantly less term than the power forward and agent Todd Reynolds were hunting on the open market.

The 28-year-old, top-six winger signed a one-year pact for $5.5 million and should have no issue eating the minutes and potting the goals lost by Michael Bunting, who joined Carolina for four years at $4.5 million per.

Bolstered by the deep pockets in Toronto, Treliving was allowed to hand Bertuzzi $4.725 million of his salary upfront and threw in a no-movement clause for good measure.

While Bertuzzi preferred term in the wake of multiple injuries and an expiring bridge deal — and told both former teams, the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins as much — the one-year bet with a contender is a smart play.

The Sudbury native and Guelph Storm graduate returns to Ontario to play in front of a large media market and fanbase that can boost one’s profile to financial gain. (Ask Zach Hyman or Luke Schenn or Jack Campbell or Ilya Mikheyev or Justin Holl or…)

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