Tyler Bertuzzi believes he'll be a great fit with Bruins
BOSTON -- As a pending free agent on a team outside of the playoff picture, Tyler Bertuzzi knew there was a good chance he'd move ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline. He just didn't know he'd be going to the best team in hockey.
"I had a feeling it was coming, I just didn't know where or when. I'm very happy that it's here," Bertuzzi said from the Bruins locker room on Friday. "It's a special group here."
That is a bit of an understatement. The Bruins are a wrecking ball this season, reaching 101 points for the season Thursday night with a 7-1 trouncing of the Buffalo Sabres. That they were able to add a player like Bertuzzi on Thursday morning gives them an embarrassment of riches.
The Bruins sent a future first-round pick to Detroit to acquire the 28-year-old winger, which will help bolster the team's depth ahead of the playoffs. Bertuzzi got to Boston late Thursday night and used the evening to settle in a bit, and reach out to his former teammates in Detroit.
Bertuzzi became a beloved member of the Red Wings over his six-plus years in Detroit, and enjoyed his first 30-goal season in 2021-22. He's not sure where he'll line up with the Bruins, but Bertuzzi will don the Spoked-B for the first time on Saturday when Boston hosts the New York Rangers at TD Garden.
"Packed house, Rangers-Bruins. I'm excited for this opportunity," said Bertuzzi.
The Bruins don't lack much this season, considering they have 48 wins, an absurd plus-103 goal differential, and are getting Vezina-level goaltending from both Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. But if they needed to add anything to the group, it was a little extra toughness. Bertuzzi -- and last month's pickup Garnet Hathaway -- will bring plenty of that to the mix.
"I just go out there and play hockey. I play hard and I think this team fits my game," Bertuzzi said.
Boston fans saw that back in 2018, when Bertuzzi started a brawl against the B's, mixing it up with now-teammate Brad Marchand. The two have yet to discuss their little fracas since Bertuzzi's arrival in Boston, but it's only a matter of time until it comes up.
"I'm sure he'll bring it up at some point," Bertuzzi said. "It was a chippy game. I remember he slashed the goalie and that started everything. We'll have some laughs about that, for sure.
"He's tough to play against," he added of Marchand. "Luckily we're teammates now so hopefully we can do it together."
Bertuzzi has just four goals and 10 assists this season, with injuries limiting him to just 29 games. He broke his right hand in the second game of the season blocking a shot, which cost him nine games. He came back, only to break his other hand, which required surgery and cost him six weeks of action.
He was starting to find his groove again with Detroit, tallying a trio of goals and dishing out six assists over his last dozen games. Bertuzzi was finally able to play the same way as he did last season, when he enjoyed a career year.
He's hoping that carries over to Boston, with a team that sits as the favorites to win a Stanley Cup.
"It just came with working hard and trying to get to the dirty areas," he said. "Hopefully I can score a couple of goals here and play well."