Tyler Bertuzzi announces why he spurned Bruins

Despite the Boston Bruins saying that the wanted to retain scrappy forward Tyler Bertuzzi, they were unable to do so. But the deal that he signed was a bit of an eye opener.

He inked a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth $5.5 million, a far cry from the reported multi-year deal that he was seeking. In fact, it was said that the chief reasoning behind his departure from the Detroit Red Wings at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline was that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was unwilling to offer him a contract any longer than two or three years. 

And according to Bertuzzi, he had plenty of options on the table - all in the form of one-year contracts. But he must have figured that the Leafs will have the better opportunity to be playing longer into next spring than Boston, who lost multiple players from their 65-win roster of last season. 

"There was a lot of one-year deals out there and I wanted to be at a place where winning was at the top of [our list], our biggest goal and I know the team has the best chance to make it a long way [in the playoffs], hopefully, and our end goal is to win the Cup... It's close to home too," he said. 

"[Last year] was my first taste of playoff hockey. That was another reason [why I signed here]. It's the best time of year and it's a lot of fun to play in those situations and to get a feel for that, I wanted to be back in it and continue to be in it every year... I'm excited."

Meanwhile, he's gearing up to get going with his new team. 

"I'm excited," he said It's been a good couple of weeks - I came [to Toronto] 2 or 3 weeks ago to kind of just meet all the guys, skate and work out... you know, just get to know everyone, so it's been good and I'm just ready to get going." 

Recommended articles:

• Max Domi reveals why he chose Maple Leafs
• Ryan Reaves sends an ominous warning to Radko Gudas.
• Elliotte Friedman sheds light on the Mike Babcock incident.
• Babcock labeled a “predator” by one of his former players.
• Former NHLer slams Babcock following his resignation.