Tyler Bertuzzi trade: How NHL experts graded Bruins’ latest move

With a loaded roster and one deal already in the books, there seemed to be a good chance the Bruins were already done with trade deadline moves this season.

But when Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno each went down with injuries during the team’s four-game road trip, Don Sweeney wasn’t risking going into the postseason with uncertain forward depth and sent two draft picks, including a protected 2024 first-rounder to Detroit for Todd Bertuzzi.

Here’s how experts around the NHL graded the move:

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski gave Sweeney a B+ and wrote:

“Bertuzzi has had a cursed season health-wise, with injuries to both hands as well as a lower-body injury. He has been limited to 29 games and has four goals and 10 assists. That’s well off his pace from last season (30 goals and 32 assists in 68 games), but the Bruins are betting Bertuzzi is going to be better than his 6.5% shooting percentage down the stretch.

He’s not a perfect player. Bertuzzi has a reputation as a grinder, but he’s not a hitter. His 5-on-5 defense has been spotty, and below replacement this season. But there’s no question he can be an asset for the Bruins, especially in his playmaking ability.”

The Athletic had several writers giving grades:

Dom Luszczyszyn gave the Bruins an A and wrote:

“The rich get richer. The already unstoppable Bruins decided their perfect roster wasn’t perfect enough. That having a greater than 65 percent chance of beating any team in a playoff series wasn’t enough. They needed more.

Enter Tyler Bertuzzi, a bonafide top-six forward to add to Boston’s already startling collection of top-six forwards. The Bruins made arguably the league’s deepest forward group even deeper. How does a third line with Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi sound to the rest of the league? Because it sounds terrifyingly unfair to me. … The biggest plus for Boston is that Bertuzzi isn’t a power play merchant — he usually does his damage at five-on-five. Last season he scored 2.18 points-per-60 while being a hugely positive influence on expected and actual goals. This year, despite the modest production, he’s been even better at driving play offensively. He’s projected to add roughly 1.7 wins to the Bruins — as if they needed it”.

Corey Pronman gave Boston a B+ and wrote:

“The Bruins are the best team in the NHL and should rightfully be doing all they can to maximize their chances at a Stanley Cup. This is such a move. Bertuzzi is an excellent player. He’s a very skilled, and highly competitive wing who is a pain in the ass to play against. His style of play will be great in the playoffs and fits in very well with how the Bruins want to play. How the Bruins make the money work will be interesting. Given no salary is going the other way, Taylor Hall is likely going on LTIR. If he could return for the playoffs that would be quite a lineup.”

Sean Gentille gave the Bruins an A and wrote:

“They might have the greatest regular season team in modern history — and they’re not satisfied. With a team that remarkable, and an expiration date coming up, all you can ask of a GM is that he respects the gift and acts accordingly. That’s what we’ve seen from Don Sweeney. He’s manning a functional battleship. What I like most about the move, I think, is that it’s both reactionary and utterly correct. Since he traded for Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway (an A, by the way), Sweeney has watched the Maple Leafs overhaul their defense, the Rangers add Patrick Kane and the Lightning ominously clear salary space. So he acted. How about a 30-goal scorer? Does that work? Alrighty then. Bravo.”

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