Tyler Bertuzzi will thrive under Jeff Blashill

While much of the fan base was apathetic to the hiring of Jeff Blashill as the Chicago Blackhawks' head coach, I imagine one player on the team was over the moon. Tyler Bertuzzi enjoyed his best statistical season under Blashill back in 2021-2022, when he had 30 goals and 32 assists for 60 points in 68 games played. But it's not just the numbers that are impressive about Bertuzzi's time with Blashill; it was how he was used.

Tyler Bertuzzi: The Pest and The Producer

When Bertuzzi was in Detroit, he garnered a reputation for being a gritty, tough-nosed, old-school hockey player. He was unafraid of pain and punishment and went to the dirty areas of the ice to score his goals. He was reminiscent of his uncle, Todd Bertuzzi (shudder), another madman in the NHL who also had a reputation for a violent and combative style of hockey.

Last season, I felt that, while Bertuzzi still scored goals, he didn't jump off the screen the way his reputation made me believe that he would. I was expecting a guy who would pester the other team, get under their skin, and score goals to really piss them and their fans off in the process. I wanted one of those "you hate him when he's against you and you love him when he's with you" kind of guys. I didn't see enough of the pest that I desired.

With Blashill calling the shots, there is an opportunity for Bertuzzi to get back to doing what he does well. If we look at how Bertuzzi was utilized by Blashill in Detroit, we can gain a clearer idea of how he may be best used in Chicago.

In Detroit, Bertuzzi played most often as a winger alongside Dylan Larkin. Yeah, that was a good gig. I adore Larkin's style of hockey. He is fast and aggressive, offensively skilled, and has terrific defensive intangibles as well. Larkin uses his physical gifts and exceptional hockey IQ to routinely set up his teammates for success offensively, while also covering for his wingers' defensive lapses. Bertuzzi is a skilled forward who, admittedly, struggles on defense, as evidenced by his abysmal minus-39 last season.

Bertuzzi worked well with Larkin because Larkin's offensive skill and speed demanded the attention of opposing defenses, allowing Bertuzzi space and time to operate in the offensive zone. Bertuzzi is not a fast player; he is a strong and skilled player who thrives when he has time with the puck in the offensive zone. To put it simply, he is a better power play offensive player than a fast break offensive player. When he has a center that can carry the puck into the zone with speed and maintain possession long enough for him to set up in a net front position, or at the dot, he thrives.

Who on the Blackhawks can play the Dylan Larkin role?

Well, the obvious answer is Connor Bedard, and we saw both Anders Sorenson and Luke Richardson utilize Bertuzzi on his wing to decent effect. There was a run of about 10 games where I swear Bertuzzi had one of those drop to his knees and just tip the puck in kind of goals every night with Bedard. However, I am going to suggest two different options.

I think a line of Frank Nazar, Bertuzzi, and Ryan Donato could be a really effective combination. In describing Larkin, I thought there were many similarities to Nazar. Both are physically gifted, smart and savvy hockey players that are best utilized in setting up their teammates offensively. Bertuzzi and Donato could be the grit and grind to Nazar's flash and splash style of play, grounding the young forward in Blashill's system, while also benefiting from Nazar's offensive instincts.

Another less likely but really interesting option is to pair Oliver Moore with Bertuzzi. Moore has the speed that few NHL players possess, and he clearly is a better passer than he is a finisher, at least at this point in his development, as evidenced by his less-than-stellar goal totals at the University of Minnesota.

Moore would benefit tremendously from having a guy like Bertuzzi on his wing to cash in the chances that he creates with his blazing speed. My only concern would be that Moore is literally so fast that he and Bertuzzi simply aren't playing at a cooperative pace with one another. You don't want a situation where either Moore is having to slow down for Bertuzzi substantially, or Bertuzzi is having to empty the tank every shift to keep up with Moore. That is why I prefer the Nazar route.

Blashill could unlock Bertuzzi because he is unlikely to jump to the blender too quickly with his lines. If he puts Bertuzzi with Nazar, Blashill, unlike Sorenson or Richardson, will hopefully give them time to build some chemistry. He has seen Bertuzzi thrive with a very similar player to Nazar in Dylan Larkin, and I think he will give that relationship time to progress. If he does that, I could see Bertuzzi reaching the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career, which would be absolutely indispensable for this young Hawks roster.