Did Bertuzzi and the Leafs pull off a handshake agreement to get around the NHL's rules

One of the most surprising moves of the NHL offseason has to be the Toronto Maple Leafs' free agent signing of forward Tyler Bertuzzi.

Not because Bertuzzi signed in Toronto necessarily, that's not what makes it surprising. What was surprising was that Bertuzzi signed just a one year deal, despite being arguably the most sought after free agent on the market. In the end Bertuzzi bet on himself to put up big points on a very strong Leafs team with the hopes that he can cash in even bigger next offseason as a free agent again.

Or... do Bertuzzi and the Leafs have something else up their sleeve?

Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman was on Toronto's FAN590 radio (It'll always be FAN590 to me, FYI) where he speculated that Bertuzzi could sign a long term extension with the Leafs after January 1st, 2024.

Check it out:

"I am of the belief that Toronto wanted to sign Tyler Bertuzzi longer and I think Bertuzzi wanted to sign longer but they didn't have the ability to do it now. What does that mean after Jan 1st?"

- Elliotte Friedman

Honestly... that makes the one year deal make a lot more sense to me. Bertuzzi is eligible to sign an extension come January 1st and can even sign for 8 years if he wanted, something that wasn't on the table for either side this offseason. Stay tuned, we could have the makings of a juicy rumour here.