Bertuzzi and Teravainen will turn the Blackhawks biggest weaknesses into strengths

If you’re a Chicago Blackhawks fan, you couldn’t be happier at the moment, as the team kicked off free agency by inking Tyler Bertuzzi to a four-year deal. This is huge because the Blackhawks needed someone to help supplement their scoring this season as it was clear first-overall pick Connor Bedard wasn’t going to be a game-changer without help - nor was that to be expected. 

But the 2024 recipient of the Calder Trophy showed us he can be an effective player despite the little help he was getting for his rookie season. The result was 22 goals and 61 points through 68 games, priming him for a true breakout season in Year 2. 

And this is where Bertuzzi comes in, as the journeyman (we can call him that now, right?) has proven he can be a force in the offensive zone. In 2021-22, we saw it with the Detroit Red Wings when he knocked down a 62-point season, and we saw it again during the back half of 2022-23 when he put up 16 points in 21 contests after the Wings traded him to the Boston Bruins. 

Tyler Bertuzzi gives the Blackhawks loads of help all over the ice

Tyler Bertuzzi was solid throughout his lone season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, racking up another 43 points in 80 appearances while averaging 16-plus minutes of total ice time. Since the 2018-19 season, Bertuzzi has averaged between 16 and 19 minutes per game, meaning we may very likely see him playing directly alongside Bedard this season on Chicago’s first line, or at least on the top-six. 

Bertuzzi is also a hitter, and someone who will add quite the physical edge to the Blackhawks, something that will be needed as the team continues to grow. He’s also good at stealing the puck - 105 takeaways over the past three seasons, and best yet, Bertuzzi also helped make the best out of what was a ticky-tacky situation over in Toronto on the defensive side of the ice. 

Overall, this was an excellent signing from Kyle Davidson, and I expect to see more just like it as NHL free agency continues. 

Bringing back Teuvo Teravainen was genius

Alright, we discussed Tyler Bertuzzi, so let’s shift gears and talk more about one of my favorite signings so far of the 2024 offseason - Teuvo Teravainen. If you’ve been a fan for a while, you may remember that Teravainen spent three seasons in Chicago, where he scored just 17 goals and 44 points in 115 games - but he also had 35 points in 78 games in 2015-16 - while playing primarily middle-six minutes. But that hasn’t been the case lately with the Carolina Hurricanes, and that won’t be the case in Chicago. 

Since the 2016-17 season, Teravainen has played top-six minutes, so if you’re doing the math, that’s two players who will be in Chicago’s top-six that weren’t there last season - Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. Teravainen also scored 25 times and put up 53 total points in 2023-24, so between him and Bertuzzi, that’s 46 goals and 96 total points scored between the two. 

And we all know the Blackhawks needed some scorers, and someone who can help keep the puck in the offensive zone so his team can take chances is exactly what Teravainen and Bertuzzi bring. Also like Bertuzzi, Teravainen’s not bad defensively. He saw just 35 goals go past him at even strength last season, and he’s also valuable on the penalty kill. 

At 5-on-5, Teravainen's on-ice save percentage sat at 92.7 last season, and at even strength, it was a more than respectable 91.5. That said, look for him to keep adding value at both ends of the ice, something that will more than help a team that couldn’t get anything going in any zone.