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Will The Detroit Red Wings Regret Trading Tyler Bertuzzi?

By Richard Jelinek

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 10: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena on January 10, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 10: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena on January 10, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Red Wings have traded winger Tyler Bertuzzi to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a protected first-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in 2025. Detroit will retain half of Bertuzzi’s contract for the remainder of this season.

Tyler Bertuzzi was loved by fans and hated by opponents. The forward who is missing a tooth and has long hair was the fly that just would not go away to opposing teams. He would get in the face of opposing players, not back down from a fight, yet be a threat offensively.

Detroit Red Wings forward Bertuzzi was dealt to the first-place Bruins

Tyler Bertuzzi was one of the top offensive players on Detroit’s roster. He would always be in front of the net, hacking away for an offensive opportunity. Not one for highlight moves, Bertuzzi made his living scoring the dirty goals from within 50 feet of the net. Mainly paired on the top line with captain Dylan Larkin, Bertuzzi always produced when on the ice. If he was not producing he has chirping the other team, throwing hits, fighting, or some other things to be effective in a different way. His time on the ice was not wasted as he always made something happen. Although he was not the best of skaters, he always found his way into the zone in time for a scoring chance.

Bertuzzi had come across some injuries, which may have led to him being dealt. Out of a possible 574 games played, Bertuzzi has played 305. His style of play could have contributed to some of those games lost, but it shows what kind of player he was.

This will leave a hole in the Detroit Red Wings roster. Not only his scoring but his physical play as well. Detroit had called up forward Adam Erne from AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins to fill that void. With all due respect to Erne, he cannot fill the void left by Bertuzzi. While that void could be filled now, down the road Detroit will have to fill that permanently. With the trade deadline almost here, the Detroit Red Wings may need to make a deal for a forward with some grit who can fight on occasion. The RedWings do not have a player who fits that bill on their roster right now.

Bertuzzi will be missed by the Detroit Red Wings. He did everything possible when he was on the ice to help the team win. However, he was injured a lot and the offer general manager Steve Yzerman got was too good to pass up. Bertuzzi is a free agent after this season so it should be interesting to see where he ends up.

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