Has Tyler Bertuzzi proved his contract is worth it for the Blackhawks?

On July 1, 2024, the first day of free agency, the Chicago Blackhawks signed grizzled vet Tyler Bertuzzi to a $5.5 million contract for four seasons. At the time, the contract was a head-scratcher, and I saw it as a way to meet the salary cap floor until the young guys signed their bridge deals. I saw good in his game, one that the projected bottom-six guys could copy: gritty, relentless, a human backboard, a solid stick, and solid defensive play as well.

What the heck is going on ?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought that Bertuzzi would be a solid middle-six forward for the team as a placeholder. I kind of expected his 46 points last season; he has the potential to make waves on offense. What I did not expect was his 22 goals in 39 games, totaling 34 points, which makes him a near point-per-game player. If you look at the graph of where his goals come from, he lives near the blue line, banking in goals from passes most of the time.

Connor Bedard carried quite a bit of the offense for the team before his injury; however, the Blackhawks have finally discovered ways to score dirty goals. The team couldn't buy a goal for a stretch of games, but they made the right adjustments, and the goals are coming back. They (finally) found, somewhat, that shooting the puck for a rebound leads to opportunities. This is where Bertuzzi makes his living, acting as a backboard all the time.

The "NHL Basement" isn't what it used to be. Teams are jumbled by just a couple of points, and any stretch, good or bad, can make a huge difference. The Blackhawks saw themselves plummet due to the lack of offense on the roster, but with Bertuzzi, somehow, finding ways to score at all times is a welcome surprise, and it proves that the signing isn't just a placeholder to meet the salary cap floor.