Tyler Bertuzzi joins Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks,

The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially lost veteran forward Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency.

According to a report from The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, Bertuzzi has finally found the long term deal he was looking for after securing a 4 year term from the Chicago Blackhawks. Pagnotta also reports the financial details of this deal, which will see Bertuzzi's contract carrying an average annual value and salary cap hit of $5.5 million over the next four seasons.

This does not represent a raise for Bertuzzi, who signed a 1 year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 2023 at a cap hit of $5.5 million, but it will represent significantly more long term security for the 29 year old forward.

Bertuzzi will also have the added appeal of potentially playing with one of the best up and coming stars in the league in the form of young Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard.

Bertuzzi is coming off a season in which he had 21 goals and 22 assists for a total of 43 points over that stretch.