After signing a one-year deal with the team last offseason, Bertuzzi was a welcome addition to the Buds. His agent has spoken to the Maple Leafs since the Boston Bruins eliminated them from the playoffs and although Bertuzzi and his camp have hope a deal can be made, they recognize that the Maple Leafs have areas of need.
«We've had productive talks,» Todd Reynolds, the agent for Bertuzzi, said on Tuesday. «But the player realizes that there are other areas for the team to address. We'll see where it goes.»
The twenty-nine-year-old left winger skated in 80 games for the Maple Leafs pitching in with 22 goals and 21 assists. Still, it was his grit, toughness, and ability to grind in the corners and not backing down from anything that made a difference for those with a little more skill on his line night in and night out that made all the difference.
If the Maple Leafs can't make a deal work, obviously they will have elsewhere for help, however, truth be told they now know the type of player Bertuzzi can be having him be on the roster for a season already and if they can get a long term deal done, both the team and the player could benefit greatly from it knowing that neither of them have to meet at the table again for a bit.
