On June 2, Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub's James Stewart claimed Tyler Bertuzzi would seek $7 million per season on his next contract. A month later, the former Boston Bruins winger accepted much less than that, inking a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bertuzzi, 28, is an oft-injured, but feisty scoring forward. He reached or exceeded 21 goals and 47 points three times in his seven seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, including a career-best 30 goals and 62 points in 2021-22. Traded to the Bruins on March 2, he had 16 points in 21 regular season games and 10 points in seven postseason contests.

Given the high number of clubs with limited salary-cap space for 2023-24, Bertuzzi likely found it difficult to land a lucrative long-term contract. By signing a one-year deal with the high-scoring Leafs, he's betting on himself in hopes of landing a much bigger payday for 2024-25 when the cap is projected to jump by $4 million.

The addition of Bertuzzi brings the Leafs a physical top-six forward who proved himself as a reliable playoff performer during his brief tenure in Boston. If he can stay healthy, his presence could bring some much-needed grit and clutch production that's been lacking from some of their stars in their previous playoff appearances.