Thoughts on the Todd Bertuzzi trade
I considered the merits of trading for Todd Bertuzzi one month ago in this article.
Man, is this ever a tough call. A couple years ago this guy was the next Brendan Shanahan. He was a beast and just lethal in front of the net. With the new rules this guy seemed likely to be a 50 goal scorer year in and year out. Then he went apes*#t on Steve Moore and hasn’t been the same since. Oh, and he is also returning from back surgery. You are taking a risk with this guy, but he has some of the elements Detroit is looking for. I’d rate him similar to dealing for Forsberg: it isn’t the first deal the Wings will likely seek but they might do something if there are no other appealing options.
At the end of the day I think those last two sentences are pretty much dead on. Detroit was rumored to be in on Peter Forsberg, Bill Guerin, and even Owen Nolan. I even thought Detroit wouldn’t be able to fit Bertuzzi’s sizeable $5.269 million salary under the cap.
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland rolled the dice and picked up two forwards who in theory fill Detroit’s biggest needs. In theory. Todd Bertuzzi was an unstoppable force during the 2001-02 and 2002-2003 seasons.
2002-03: 46 goals, 51 assists, +2
2001-02: 36 goals, 49 assists, +21
But that was 4 years ago. He was just below a point a game player last year so he should help out on offense assuming he is healthy and he can quickly get back into game shape. That is the big question as he hasn’t played in 4 months. It will be interesting to see how Mike Babcock handles the lines. I’d expect the top line to remain intact as it hasn’t let up at all. Bertuzzi would likely go on the second line along with Robert Lang.
The interesting thing to see will be if Kyle Calder plays on the second or third line. If he is on that second line I think the line could struggle defensively. So perhaps Johan Franzen or Dan Cleary would stay on the second line. The line of Robert Lang, Calder and Franzen was very good last night, so it is probably worthwhile to keep that line intact while Bertuzzi recovers and see how it works out.
Kyle Calder Red Wings Todd Bertuzzi2 Comments
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Well, “beast” is a good choice of words.
I’m afraid I can’t be as analytical as you about this deal. The fact of the matter is, this guy is nothing but a common thug. Watch the tape of what he did to Moore. Then watch it again. Then watch it again.
Then tell me you want to be associated in any way with a team that has this guy on the payroll. He should have been banned from hockey for life. In fact, he should have been sent to prison. That he’s still playing is hockey’s shame.
I’m a longtime Red Wings fan. Not just because they win, but because they’ve done it with classy guys like Yzerman and Lidstrom. But associating themselves with a guy like Bertuzzi sullies that reputation.
As long as Bertuzzi’s on the team, I’m done with them.
Ray,
I don’t defend what Bertuzzi did. It was simply wrong, very, very wrong. But he has paid the price through suspension and apologized for his actions. So I can accept that. I really wish he could come to some resolution with Steve Moore but that might simply be too much to ask.
For what it’s worth I think Bertuzzi has taken the right approach. He says that the incident is part of his past and he needs to approach it that way.