Tyler Bertuzzi, who is having a career year, is the perfect complement to the youth movement of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in the middle of a youth movement. Most of the players that they add to their lineup these days are under the age of 23. Everything starts and ends with Connor Bedard, who is a superstar, but lots of other young talent are starting to make waves.
Whether it’s Nick Lardis, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Artyom Levshunov, or someone else, there is a surplus of prospects in the lineup, making the future brighter every day. It won’t be long after this year before the team starts to win at an even higher clip.
Every young team needs veterans to help them along. Players like Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and Connor Murphy are all in the lineup every night, helping in leadership roles both on and off the ice. With that said, nobody is helping the youth movement more than Tyler Bertuzzi.
It certainly looks like this is going to be Bertuzzi's best year in the goal-scoring department, and he may be able to reach his career high in points (62). At 24 goals, he is already one ahead of the 2024-25 season (his first with Chicago) and six away from the 30 plateau, which is also his career high.
Having a year like this is helping the Blackhawks stay afloat through these dog days, as the team is dressing a roster of mostly young players. Connor Bedard is the catalyst offensively, but it's hard to argue against Bertuzzi as the second most important forward right now.
The other notable young forwards play key roles, and they are the future of this organization, but there always needs to be productive veterans around, making games just a bit easier.
Tyler Bertuzzi's goal-scoring prowess comes from his ability to bury pucks around the net. There are few players in the league as good as Bertuzzi at depositing rebounds or scoring from within the blue paint.
"He's a monster around the net," Wyatt Kaiser said of Bertuzzi's game around the crease. "Any loose puck battles, he's winning it, and it's bouncing to him. He has to be there for the bounce, so I think he puts himself in a ton of good spots. If you see him around the net, just shoot."
Of course, Kaiser threw one on net that Bertuzzi buried in the loss to Edmonton on Monday. They didn't win, but this goal gave them life late. When any attacking player on the team sees Bertuzzi driving hard to the paint, it's not a bad idea to throw the puck on net.
"I've been a big fan of Tyler Bertuzzi his whole pro career," said head coach Jeff Blashill. "He's a really good hockey player, a winning hockey player. He does a lot of little things right. He's playing great hockey."
Blashill, who had a much younger Bertuzzi back in their Detroit Red Wings days, seems to be playing a big role in Bertuzzi's huge year. Blashill claims that Bertuzzi's commitment to both ends of the ice allows him to be successful. Right now, they wouldn't even have a slight chance without their veteran goal scorer.
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Category: General Sports
