NHL enforcer Robert Bortuzzo signs a one year deal.
Veteran National Hockey League enforcer Robert Bortuzzo agreed to a one year, two-way deal on Saturday.
National Hockey League enforcer Robert Bortuzzo has secured himself a new contract on Saturday, although it seems likely he will see some time in the American Hockey League this season given the nature of his new deal.
NHL insider Chris Johnston broke the news, announcing that Bortuzzo would be joining the NHL's newest franchise, Utah HC, on a one year two-way deal for this coming season. A two-way deal simply means that Bortuzzo will have a different salary at the NHL and AHL levels, he will still be subject to the waiver process like a typical roster player.
The signing is somewhat surprising given that Bortuzzo has been relatively inactive over the course of the past two seasons, with a total of just 27 regular season games under his belt over that stretch.
Although Bortuzzo has established himself as a bruising presence on the blue line throughout his NHL career, he has dropped the gloves a total of just 3 times since 2022 and it remains to be seen if he will be fulfilling that role for the Utah Hockey Club.
That being said this is a relatively low risk deal for Utah with Bortuzzo's salary in the NHL coming in at just 775,000 for this coming season. Should Utah choose to send him down to the AHL, he will come in at an even lower cost at a salary of just $450,000 for this coming season.
