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Previewing what Tyler Bertuzzi brings to the Chicago Blackhawks this season

The Chicago Blackhawks added the power forward in the offseason hoping he will help the top six.

By Ethan Gawronski |
Boston Bruins v Toronto Maple Leafs - Game Six
Boston Bruins v Toronto Maple Leafs - Game Six / Claus Andersen/GettyImages
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The 2023-24 NHL offseason is beginning to wind down as training camps are just a few weeks away, which means it is time to start speculating how certain team's new additions will fit in.

The Chicago Blackhawks went into this offseason to add more NHL-caliber skill to their roster to build around the new franchise face, Connor Bedard.

Coming off a season where the Blackhawks were second-last in the NHL in terms of goals scored, the injury-depleted roster needed some reinforcements. This led General Manager Kyle Davidson to add numerous players via trades and free agency to help bolster the depth throughout the lineup.

Among those added to the Blackhawks roster is Tyler Bertuzzi, a pure power-forward who has made his presence known on any team he's been a part of.

After spending seven seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Bertuzzi was traded to the Boston Bruins where he was a playoff rental. He decided to test free agency after, where he signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bertuzzi signed a four-year, $5.5 million per year, contract with the Blackhawks on July 1st. His season with Toronto saw the 29-year-old tally 21 goals and 43 points in 80 games. His season was riddled with hot-and-cold streaks where sometimes the scoring was not going his way for extended stretches of games.

Despite having goal scoring droughts, the area where Bertuzzi stands out is his physicality. Much like his uncle, Todd bertuzzi, Tyler plays a hard-nose style of game where he gets underneath the skin of opposing teams.

Coming to a rebuilding Blackhawks squad that is looking to take a step forward, Bertuzzi should be a big part of the offense in Chicago and will add more physicality to the team.

Let's get into BlackhawkUp's projections for Tyler Bertuzzi.

Bertuzzi is expected to start the season in the Blackhawks' top-six, most likely on the first line alongside Connor Bedard.

Last season, Bertuzzi was given the chance to play in Toronto's top-six with members of their star forwards where he brought a physical edge to his line.

However, he will get a chance to be one of the top guys in Chicago with far more opportunities. He will likely get first-line minutes and become an integral part of the top powerplay unit as well.

Bertuzzi brings a mix of skill and snarl to the Blackhawks which is a rare commodity in the current NHL. His tenacity will allow for him to retrieve pucks and create more offense for himself and Bedard.

Last season, the scoring options beyond Connor Bedard were few and far between which led to opposing defenses knowing to put most of their attention on Bedard.

Adding Bertuzzi brings that much-needed scoring option with a physical edge who can take some of the attention off Bedard, opening up the ice for more offense.

Bertuzzi's best season to date came in 2021-22 where he posted 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games with the Detroit Red Wings. His ability to produce offense at a high caliber is there, and he was relied on to be a top contributor much more with Detroit than he was with Toronto, the situation in Chicago should be similar for Bertuzzi.

One area that could be a concern is that Bertuzzi has consistently missed time during each of his seasons in the NHL.

This past year was his healthiest, with him playing in 80 games for Toronto. The Blackhawks roster saw an unfathomable amount of injuries last season, and a healthy Bertuzzi will make a huge difference on the ice.

Bertuzzi should fit in well with the style that is implemented from Luke Richardson, as tenacity and high compete are at the forefront of how Richardson coaches his team. The way he plays should earn him plenty of opportunities to succeed and play major minutes.

With there being an influx of young players coming onto the Blackhawks' roster in the coming seasons, Bertuzzi is a guy any team would be happy to have protecting their future stars. A physical presence like himself will not make a young team get pushed around so easily.

Seeing that Bertuzzi is projected to be a first-liner on the Blackhawks, we expect that he will play around 75 games and post 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points.

Given that he will likely spend a lot of time playing with Connor Bedard, they should both be a good compliment to each other and open up the ice for scoring chances.

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