Meet the new Blackhawks: Where will Tyler Bertuzzi fit in the Chicago lineup?

The Chicago Blackhawks had quite the active free-agency period this summer, signing seven new players in the span of a handful of hours July 1st. The team didn’t go out and get the biggest, most renowned names out there – like Steven Stamkos – but they filled their roster with objectively useful players that should be an improvement over the roster the Blackhawks trotted out last season.

Arguably, one of the more exciting signings was that of Tyler Bertuzzi, a high-energy, second-line forward who plays with a physical edge and has provided solid complementary production throughout his career. Considering the Blackhawks signed him to the longest contract with the highest cap hit of all their free agents – a four-year deal worth $5.5 million annually – it’s obvious they’re excited about what Bertuzzi can bring to the team for several years.

Bertuzzi was originally drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round (58th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft, and he is a nearly perfect example of Detroit’s penchant for allowing their prospects to really mature in development leagues before bringing them up to the NHL. He spent two more seasons with his junior team — the OHL’s Guelph Storm — before graduating to and then spending another two-and-a-half seasons in the AHL. Bertuzzi got progressively better each year, and his lower-league resume includes an impressive playoff run in 2017 when he went a point-per-game with nine goals and 10 assists in 19 games, helped lead the Griffins to a Calder Cup win, and was named the postseason MVP as a result.

Not surprisingly, Bertuzzi’s NHL career began after that run and he cemented his role as a second-line forward with high energy, a scoring touch, and some rat tendencies during six seasons with Detroit. He proved himself so well that he became quite the trade and signing commodity for Stanley Cup contenders, and he spent time with both the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs over the last two seasons.

Now, let’s look a little closer at what he could bring to the table for the Blackhawks. As you can see from above, Bertuzzi was only able to produce at a 0.54 PPG rate last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he was otherwise very consistent, scoring at rates of over 0.7 PPG in the other seasons. He’s just two years removed from season with 62 points (30 G, 32 A) in 68 games for Detroit, and he was pretty big for the Bruins in the 2023 playoffs with 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in 7 games. He’s not necessarily a possession driver himself, but when put with players who are (like his last three or four seasons), Bertuzzi can assist in maintaining possession both quantity and quality. In fact, he was top-three in terms of expected goal share at 5-on-5 with both the Bruins and Maple Leafs, and had the largest positive impact on teammates in that stat as well.

Defensively, Bertuzzi doesn’t ping quite as highly, especially statistically, despite all his doggedness in puck pursuit that typically translates to quality play in the defensive zone. It’s likely his defensive numbers were affected due to the requirements of his more offensive role with his most recent team, especially the Maple Leafs. Bertuzzi has always been a player who is hard to play against but don’t expect him to be a defensive stalwart or play on the penalty kill — he’s never really been that type of player in the past.

However, the rest of Bertuzzi’s skillset will obviously compliment the roster the Blackhawks are building. One of the major knocks against the Blackhawks last season was the severe lack of quality forwards – with the caveat that injuries decimated them much of the season – and Bertuzzi will definitely help there while also bringing a high-end, puck-hound element that should add a necessary dimension to the top-six. He’s the type of player who will go into the dirty areas to battle for pucks physically but also has the higher end skill to play with more finesse players. Bertuzzi often lives in the blue paint, screening goalies, shoveling in rebounds, deflecting pucks, and often using his quick hands to set up teammates — an element that should be useful both at 5-on-5 and on the power play.

A certain contingent of fans will also be excited to know Bertuzzi is very willing to drop the gloves:

Many have already penciled Bertuzzi in beside wunderkind Connor Bedard on the Blackhawks top line for next season, and that’s very likely where he’ll at least start. Coach Luke Richardson tried to put a similar type of player with Bedard last season — most regularly Nick Foligno — but Bertuzzi is a clear upgrade for that role in terms of overall hockey skill. It’s pretty easy to see why Bertuzzi — along with Teuvo Teravainen — were the main targets for the Blackhawks as they sought a variety of players to upgrade their roster.