After the most ‘all in’ year in almost 10 years under Don Sweeney’s watch, the Bruins are about as tight against the salary cap as one could be entering the offseason.

It’s bad enough for the Bruins to outright say that they will ‘not be the same team’ next season. But that isn’t stopping Sweeney from seeing what it will take to keep 2023 trade deadline addition and pending unrestricted free agent Tyler Bertuzzi with the club, according to the latest tidbit from Elliotte Friedman.

“Boston is exploring what it needs to do to keep Tyler Bertuzzi, who is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer,” Friedman wrote in his pre-Final ’32 Thoughts’ blog on Sportsnet.

• (Click here to subscribe to the Sports Hub Underground podcast.)

• Acquired from the Red Wings in exchange for a top-10 protected first-round pick, Bertuzzi simply got better with time in Boston. After going his first nine games in Boston with a goal, Bertuzzi finished the regular season with four goals and 12 points over his final 12 appearances, and totaled 16 points in 21 post-deadline regular-season games with the Bruins. It was actually a better run than his 29-game 2022-23 run with the Red Wings, which featured just 14 points prior to his trade to Boston.

  But it was in the postseason where Bertuzzi truly shined for the Black and Gold, with a team-leading five goals and 10 points in a seven-game, opening round upset of a series loss to the Panthers. The Bruins had a feeling that Bertuzzi would be a ‘playoff-type’ player and that was indeed the case.

  In what was an absolutely disastrous ending, Bertuzzi’s production in his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoffs series was one of the only bright spots for the B’s.

  The Bruins also loved what they saw from Bertuzzi in the passing department, and really enjoyed seeing his chemistry develop with David Pastrnak on the team’s second line.

  Their interest in keeping that beyond this stretch run almost goes without saying.

• 

  Mar 12, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. (Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports)

• And while the trade away from the only NHL organization he had ever known was definitely jarring, Bertuzzi did seem to enjoy his run with the Bruins and living in Boston.

  “Yeah man, the fans here are awesome, [the] arena … like everything about it, I loved it,” the 28-year-old Bertuzzi said of his time with the Bruins. “We loved it. We honestly had such a blast. We were in the North End. Ate pasta everyday, went for walks, we had a lot of fun, and we enjoyed it here. So yeah, we could definitely see [Boston being a long-term fit for his family].”

  So, the good news is that the interest is mutual, at the very least.

• 

  Mar 9, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) watches a face-off against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)

• But what it’ll take to keep Bertuzzi with the Bruins is the tricky part.

  And to be honest, it’s real tricky.

  As it stands right now, the Bruins have less than $6 million in projected cap space for the summer. Factor in the ‘worst case scenario’ of a buyout of Mike Reilly and the final year of his $3 million per year contract (the Bruins’ luck in finding a trade partner has been abysmal) and that number jumps to $7.6 million.

  But that’s with just seven forwards, six defensemen, and one goaltender signed for 2023-24. Even a ‘bare bones’ roster approach in 2023-24 would break that down to $1.26 million per player. Even if Patrice Bergeron decides to return on another low-money deal, that’s simply not enough to get it all done, especially with restricted free agents Trent Frederic and Jeremy Swayman due substantial raises.

  If you’re talking about signing Bertuzzi to a big-money extension, you’re talking about going from two notable bodies off the NHL roster to three to create enough cap space to both re-sign him and build a complete, 20-player roster. Maybe even four, depending on what else the B’s want to do.

  Bertuzzi’s aforementioned playoff run almost certainly upped his average annual value by about a $1 million per year. At this rate, getting Bertuzzi at $5.75 million per season may feel like a bargain.

• 

  Apr 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) and right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrate a goal by center Pavel Zacha (18) against the New Jersey Devils. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• READ MORE

  – Dolloff: Re-signing Bertuzzi should Bruins’ top priority this summer

  – The Bruins have their first departure of the 2023 offseason

  – A look at who could be on the trade block for the Bruins this summer

• 

  SUNRISE, FL – Winger Tyler Bertuzzi of the Boston Bruins celebrates a goal against the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports)

• But before getting too bogged down with the varying possibilities of the cap hit Bertuzzi would come in at, it’s best to stick to what the Bruins are currently doing, and that’s exploring what it would take to make ‘Bertuzzi in Boston’ a possibility at all.

  Looking at the Bruins’ current cap structure, it makes sense to think that the majority of the Black and Gold’s cost-cutting measures this summer will come on the backend. Including Reilly, the Bruins have seven defensemen signed to seven-figure contracts for 2023-24. Beyond Reilly and his aforementioned $3 million cap hit, the Bruins have Matt Grzelcyk ($3.687 million), Derek Forbort ($3 million), and Jakub Zboril ($1.138 million) all entering the final year of their respective deals.

  There’s a good chance at least two of those players are moved just to get Bergeron, Frederic, and Swayman signed to new deals and fill out the rest of the roster for 2023-24.

  But to get Bertuzzi re-signed, those cap-clearing talks will almost certainly extend to two of the higher-priced names on the B’s books, namely winger Taylor Hall ($6 million) and goalie Linus Ullmark ($5 million). When talking about those two, it’s worth noting that both players do have trade protection.

  For the Bruins, it’s about both weighing Bertuzzi’s potential impact compared to those who could be shown the door to keep him and what the trickle-down effect of signing Bertuzzi would be (filling out the bottom of the roster with cost-controlled and cheaper options).

• 

  VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – JUNE 21: (L-R) Don Sweeney and Cam Neely of the Boston Bruins attend the 2019 NHL Draft at the Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• Something worth noting when it comes to the Bruins’ interest in retaining Bertuzzi is that this has often been Sweeney’s M.O. when it comes to players acquired for a first-round pick. The Bruins wanted to keep Rick Nash in 2018, but Nash retired due to concussion issues. In 2020, they kept Ondrej Kase around despite his injury concerns, and they immediately extended Hampus Lindholm after parting with a first-round pick and more to bring him to Boston back in 2022. With Sweeney, there’s always been an element of making the parting of a first-round pick count for more than just a post-deadline run.

  Bertuzzi is also young enough for the Bruins to view him as part of their ‘next’ core. Right now, the Bruins view that forward core as including Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak, and Pavel Zacha. It could certainly use another boost, and Bertuzzi almost seems like a natural heir apparent to Brad Marchand.

  Sweeney also knows that rolling out a second line with Bertuzzi to the left of Zacha and Pastrnak is not too shabby, as confirmed by their late-season run together, as well as the playoff outings for all three.

  It all just may be enough to lead Sweeney to a ‘no move left unexplored’ kind of push over the next month.

• 

  Mar 9, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)

Get The 98.5 The Sports Hub Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Stay up to date with the latest Boston sports news and analysis, local events, exclusive contests, and more.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.