Maple Leafs reportedly begin contract talks with Tyler Bertuzzi

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Cooper Godin
June 1, 2024 (11:50)

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Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving has plenty of work ahead of him in the next couple weeks, including trying to sign pending free agent Tyler Bertuzzi.

Bertuzzi came to Toronto as an unrestricted free agent last summer and both sides are interested in getting something done before he hits the open market on July 1st.

According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tyler Bertuzzi have begun talks on a new contract. It's unclear what the contract could look like, if it gets done, but there's no doubt Bertuzzi would like a multi-year deal to ensure himself some security.

"It's still very early in the process to project where this will go, but the #LeafsForever have started contract discussions with pending UFA winger Tyler Bertuzzi." David Pagnotta said in a post on X.

AFP Analytics, who focus on player valuation, believe that it would be a smart signing for the Toronto Maple Leafs if they're able to get a contract done with the average annual value being around $5-$5.5 million.

"While fan perception of Bertuzzi was up and down this season due to some lulls in point production, Bertuzzi was a very solid winger who made multiple core members better when they played with him. If they can get him between 5-5.5 AAV, it would be a smart signing. #LeafsForever"

Bertuzzi, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, appeared in 80 games during the regular season for the Maple Leafs where he put up 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists), 53 penalty minutes and was a plus-two. He went on to add four points in seven games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It'll be interesting to see where things go over the next few weeks, but it seems that both the Maple Leafs brass and Tyler Bertuzzi are keen on working out a deal to keep him in the blue and white.