One-time Flames forward Todd Bertuzzi has signed a one-year, $1.5M deal with the Detroit Red Wings. He had indicated that he wanted to return to Calgary, but Darryl Sutter made it clear that he should look elsewhere. Last season Bertuzzi was inconsistent, but still put up his best numbers since 05-06, his last season in Vancouver. Bertuzzi scored 15 goals and added 29 assists.
The deal puts the Red Wings over the salary cap for the 2009-2010 season by about $1.2M. They will probably put Defenceman Andreas Lilja on injured reserve and/or send winger Justin Abelkader to the minors to balance it out.
Why did Detroit sign Bertuzzi? Red Wings GM Ken Holland recently said “We lost almost 90 goals. I read or hear people picking us to be about fourth in the Western Conference.” But he still thinks they are a Stanley Cup contender “because our defense is as good as anyone’s defense and I like the rest of our team.”
Greg is the founder of Red Mile Blog has been following the Flames through good times and bad since they arrived in Calgary in the early 80s. He has written hundreds of articles on the Flames since 2005 and considers himself an expert on hockey inconsistency and frustration. He shoots right and usually plays defence, but has been known to jump up in the rush. He is a 2-time CAHL men's league champion and knows the sweet taste of beer from a Cup.
