Maple Leafs swipe star free-agent winger from Bruins

Bertuzzi’s combination of skill and sandpaper is coveted across the league and his unique agitating style is similar to what Toronto lost when Michael Bunting signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Assuming he can stay healthy — a potentially dangerous assumption given his injury issues over the past few years — Bertuzzi will comfortably slot into one of Toronto’s top scoring lines and be in a position to play with one of two high-end centers in either John Tavares or Auston Matthews.

His playoff performance for Boston, leading them in points in their first-round loss to the Florida Panthers, should give Maple Leafs fans hope that he won’t suffer from the same playoff demons their other star forwards seem to fall victim to year after year.

Not only is this a winning move for Toronto, but it’s also a savvy move for Bertuzzi, who is making the most out of a difficult situation. It’s likely that given Bertuzzi’s injury troubles and the lack of cap space across the league, he may not have received the type of pricey, long-term offers he might have expected entering the market. 

Now, he will be able to play on a team well-stocked with offensive talent and is in a situation where he could post the best season of his career.

That would set him up to potentially re-enter the market next summer, where he could really score if he remains healthy and plays in Toronto the way he played in Boston. 

This move isn’t without risk, but there isn’t a better player on the market for Toronto to acquire who could fill the void left by Bunting.