It sounds as if Tyler Bertuzzi will not be wearing a Boston Bruins sweater next season.
Bertuzzi, who Boston acquired ahead of the NHL trade deadline during the 2022-23 campaign, currently is a free agent. And Bruins general manager Don Sweeney on Saturday hinted at Bertuzzi’s next move when asked if Boston’s “door is closed” on the 28-year-old winger.
“Yeah, in all likelihood, yes,” Sweeney told reporters during a press conference, per a team-provided transcript.
It previously was reported that Bertuzzi was unlikely to return to Boston.
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“The term that he has rightfully probably earned, the AAV (average annual value) that he’s seeking and what other teams are in position to provide that we probably weren’t, unless I made another big move and again, he’s going to land in a really good spot for him and his family and we wish him luck,” Sweeney said. “He was a great piece of our puzzle and dearly would like to have gone down the path to extend him.”
The Bruins had a few former players, including Garnet Hathaway (Philadelphia Flyers), Dmitry Orlov (Carolina Hurricanes) and Connor Clifton (Buffalo Sabres), sign elsewhere at the start of NHL free agency.
Boston did, however, sign a few players itself, including the reunion of Milan Lucic and free-agent additions Patrick Brown, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jayson Megna and Luke Toporowski.
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
