A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. People don’t pay to watch me write.
1. When life in the offensive zone is as fruitless as it is for Tyler Bertuzzi these days, he can’t afford shifts like his last one.
Clinging to a one-goal lead against the Flyers on Thursday, Bertuzzi committed a careless tripping penalty on Egor Zamula at 14:39 of the third period, 200 feet away from his own net.
Philly’s Travis Konecny tied the game on the ensuing power-play, and Bertuzzi’s skates didn’t touch the ice again.
Though bailed out by William Nylander’s OT winner, the beleaguered winger’s time on ice totaled just 10:55 — his lowest as a Leaf.
Not good enough for a player making $5.5 million as GM Brad Treliving’s richest and most praised (at the time) acquisition in 2023 free agency.
As the pending UFA all over again tries to dig himself out of this hellacious and untimely slump — 19 games without a goal and just one over his past 32 — he finds solace away from the rink with his growing family.
“Just go home and see my kids, that’s it,” the father of two says. “Just get away and [see]the smiles. We go outside and play in the bush and just get away. That keeps me in a good mindset.”
A man of few words and, judging by the body language, low confidence, Bertuzzi is saying the right things — just stick with it, keep working — and his teammates are nothing but encouraging, pointing out Bertuzzi’s positive shifts and many chances in scoring position.
Captain and linemate John Tavares recently emerged from the worst drought of his career. The trick, Tavares says, is to not allow frustration to creep in.
“Once one falls, you start to feel a little bit lighter. And things start to trending in the right direction,” Tavares says. “He’s got the support from the guys in here and obviously the belief from us as well.”
Adds Max Domi: “All you can do is keep telling him, ‘Dude, once the first one goes in, it’s going to come in bunches.’ I think he believes that. He’s playing great right now.”
Not so great is the Maple Leafs’ return on investment. With only six on the season, Bertuzzi is costing them $916,666 per goal. The moral victories of a strong forechecking shifts or a sweet pass don’t cut it.
The 28-year-old isn’t superstitious. He doesn’t plan on switching his routine as his shooting percentage dips to a career-low 6.2 per cent.
“I feel good,” Bertuzzi says. “Obviously still getting the chances and making the plays and just need one to go in and kind of get that confidence of the finishing part.”
Though Bertuzzi racked up 30 goals in 2021-22 with Detroit, he only had eight in 50 games last season before his stellar playoff performance for the Bruins made him a hot commodity on the open market.
“Quite honestly, it’s not just a this-season thing,” coach Sheldon Keefe says. “It’s last season as well. His pace is not a whole lot different than where he was a season ago. You’re trying to get him back to be closer to the 30-goal Bertuzzi, but we haven’t been able to do that.
“So, be encouraged with the chances you’re getting, but also value every second that you get in a practice to be prepared for those moments. We have to push him while also encouraging him.”
“He’s got to work at his game,” Keefe stressed. “He’s got to practise. He’s got to shoot with purpose. He’s got to take every rep at practice and have it be meaningful.”
The coach and player are reaching a crossroads.
Seldom has Keefe dropped Bertuzzi out of the top six, despite the lack of production. But by the same token, the coach has gently questioned the player’s practice habits and, while considering giving Bertuzzi some coveted reps on the top power-play unit, he doesn’t want to hand out sympathy minutes.
“We also have other guys we got to get going. John had to get going, and then he was our most productive power-play guy for the last little bit as we were starting to have those discussions,” Keefe says.
“The power play has not been a big driver of his offence. Maybe there’s some confidence in the touches that come through that, but his stats have been primarily 5-on-5 driven, and I don’t think that’s a whole lot different here in this situation.
“He can bear down on those opportunities and then be a guy that’s really pushing for those minutes rather than us just trying to hand them to him.”
The signing has not panned out. Yet.
That said, if Bertuzzi can find his groove — and the net — in April, when it matters most, he still has a chance to earn his keep.
2. As the Maple Leafs got smacked by illness and were down three top-six forwards at Wednesday’s practice, the suspended Morgan Rielly took shifts up front so as not to mess with Toronto’s eligible defence pairings.
“I actually thought, maybe if I changed his number, nobody would notice and just put him out there on right wing,” Keefe smiled.
3. More than 10 weeks after Joseph Woll’s ankle gave way awkwardly in Ottawa, we’re still wondering when the Leafs’ most consistent goaltender will make his return.
So is he.
“A lot of emotions come up when you get injured,” Woll says. “It was hard for me to not feel like I was part of helping the team continue to push, so that was definitely a tough thing to deal with.”
Speaking on the record this week for the first time since injury interrupted his first full NHL campaign, Woll says he hasn’t suffered any setbacks in recovery but knocked nearby wood because, hey, a little luck can’t hurt.
He’s needed to catch his wind after his first full team practices this week, but the Leafs haven’t so much as tapped him to back up yet, exercising patience with their best option between the pipes.
Anyone trying to compete at a top level following injury understands there’s a mental hurdle in addition to a physical one.
“The focus, really, the past couple weeks has been transitioning into playing and hopefully turning my brain off a little bit and not having to think about my ankles too much,” Woll explains.
“Definitely ankle for a goalie is not an exciting one. Anything that puts you back in a position that bothers it is difficult, but it’s a process, and I think I’ve been making good strides. I can really see the progress from week to week and especially over the last couple weeks.”
Woll chuckles that he’s had experience rehabbing injuries before, though it’s not exactly the realm you want to have too much experience. Particularly when you’re only 25 and trying to establish yourself as an everyday NHLer.
But the kid is grounded enough to trust there will be a silver lining to his short-term struggles.
“The funny thing about those is you might not know them until a few months after. We’ll wait and see on that one. We’ll wait and see,” he says.
Keefe appreciates his young goalie’s steady perspective.
“I really think the greatest development for Joseph has been the mental side of things,” Keefe says. ” He’s always had the athleticism and all of that, but the mental side and the maturity for him just as a man, but also how he manages his day-to-day as a professional, I think has been the greatest area of growth from him. It makes you feel confident he can manage whatever he’s going through.”
While there would be some poetry in Woll returning Monday in St. Louis, his hometown, the real pressure point for the Leafs will be next week’s back-to-back in Arizona (Wednesday) and Vegas (Thursday).
Martin Jones is on the shelf, Dennis Hildeby has never played in the NHL, and Ilya Samsonov can’t be overworked.
4. Jarmo Kekalainen’s 11-year tenure in Columbus peaked with the franchise’s lone playoff series victory — 2019’s memorable Round 1 upset sweep of the Lightning — and will end with four consecutive post-season misses.
While we can’t argue the GM is leaving the team better off than he found it, there will be plenty of eager suitors for his vacant seat.
The Blue Jackets have a diehard fanbase despite their lack of playoff glory, enough cap space to make moves, a relatively full complement of picks in upcoming drafts, and some enticing young players on the rise (Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, David Jiricek).
Moreover, the bar for success has dipped so low lately that any progress will be framed as positive.
5. The year was 2011 and a rookie Sean Couturier joined the Flyers just as respected captain Chris Pronger’s career was winding down to injury.
Hours after inheriting the C worn by the leaders he learned from, Pronger and Claude Giroux, Couturier recalled one of his earliest NHL practices.
The youngster was rushing down ice on a 2-on-1 and against Pronger.
“I slowed down and passed it backdoor, and he wasn’t too happy,” Couturier said. “He came up to me. He’s like, ‘You can’t slow the game down like that. It’s the NHL here. It’s fast. In a game, this won’t happen.’
“And he was right. Sometimes in practice, you can do some things, but they don’t relate to games. He was all about making sure we get good habits in practices and games. That’s one thing that stuck out early on.”
Pronger would play only 13 games that season, his last, but the Hall of Famer made an impact on a guy who would be anointed captain 13 years later.
“Just his presence in the room. The way he would talk, whenever he would speak up, it was a big presence, that’s for sure,” Couturier says.
“He was all about being a good pro and being hard all the time and doing the right, little things in practices and making sure those translate into games.”
6. John Tortorella was in fine form during his lone trip to Toronto this season.
In addition to offering his thoughts on the expectations of today’s young athletes, he waxed on about the uptick of mistakes made in our game of mistakes.
“Oh, God, yes,” Tortorella said. “It’s the coaches also. I think we have evolved where, God, back in the day I was correcting every mistake that was made on the ice, and your meetings were almost: ‘OK, puck is there, you go there. If the puck’s there, you go there.’ You’re almost directing them like a rod-hockey game.
“Now, you need to let them play. You need to let them make mistakes. And I think they grow even quicker that way, by learning through their mistakes. I’m not saying more mistakes in the game is bad. I think the coaches have had to evolve and let them make their mistakes. That’s how they become better players.
“Now, the beatitudes and what it is to be a pro, that’s nonnegotiable for me; that’s never going to change. But the way we coach the athlete, I think you need to let them go. I think we need to get out of the way. I think we overcoach sometimes. We need to get out of the way and let them play.”
Bonus Torts!
What does the Flyers bench boss think of the 13(!) coaching changes made since the end of last season?
“Coaching has and, I think, coaching always will be one of the most disrespected positions in the game. It’s easy to do, easy to get rid of the guy. I’ve always felt that. It’s one of the most disrespected positions in the game.”
7. Quote of the Week.
“If you don’t want someone to celebrate a goal a certain way, then don’t let him score.” —Vancouver Canucks defenceman Ian Cole on Detroit’s Jake Walman hitting the Griddy
8. Sam Reinhart is running away with the power-play goal race. His 22 PPGs are nine more than the next most prolific shooter on the man-advantage (the idle Valeri Nichushkin ranks second with 13).
Reinhart has scored more often on the power-play than the Chicago Blackhawks (21) and just as often as the Buffalo Sabres (his former club), Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets.
And, yes, he’s aware of that crazy stat.
“I love the style of play we’re executing, and I’ve been put in some pretty good spots with some pretty good players. I would say it’s the most confident I’ve ever been,” says the Panthers sniper.
Reinhart’s contributions account for roughly half of all Florida’s power-play markers. And while we often think of PP threats firing from the flank (Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Auston Matthews), the Cats have identified the bumper as prime real estate to counter the contemporary PK.
“A guy in the middle on the power-play, you need the puck delivered to you at the right times. Especially the way most teams kill in that diamond formation, that’s a vulnerable spot for penalty kills. I’m fortunate to have some good guys put me in some good spots to finish it off,” Reinhart explains. “You see a couple go in early and just helps the confidence.”
He’s no one-trick pony, though. Reinhart is also tied for third in shorthanded goals (four).
“Outstanding,” says teammate Sergei Bobrovsky. “He’s the real deal. He can score from everywhere, at any time of the game. He’s been a leader from his first year [here].
“And he also brings intelligence into the game, in that he not only scored the goals, but he also know how to defend easy, very reliable and PK too.
“His percentage of the shots, how many goes in, It’s incredible, right?”
9. As Patrik Laine works his way through the player assistance program and had to deal with some “nonsense” comments online, Johnny Gaudreau has stepped up in support of his teammate.
Gaudreau is donating $1,000 for every point he records to the Ohio Health Foundation in support of men in the community struggling with mental health.
Classy gesture, and one that helped inspire Jackets fans themselves to chip in and donate more than $10,000.
“We have Patty’s back,” Gaudreau said.
10. Despite their remarkable relevance in the Metropolitan Division standings, it’s only a matter of days before the Flyers start selling.
As an inexpensive ($2.65 million), minute-munching, right-shot defenceman under age 30 and on an expiring contract, Sean Walker knows he is an in-demand commodity.
“It’s probably one of the best problems to have, right?” Walker told NBC Sports. “At the end of the day, you’re playing really well, and teams want you. That is the situation when you come to a place on an expiring contract, the situation I’m in.”
The native of Keswick, Ont., has surely heard the hopes of his Leafs fan buddies, knowing Toronto GM Brad Treliving is on the hunt for righthanded D.
Walker isn’t rattled by the rumours, however.
“I’m going to be a UFA, so, personally, it’s a good problem to have, that teams want you and you’re being talked about,” Walker told reporters during Thursday’s Toronto stop. “But it’s something you put in the back of your mind.”
As well-coached and hardworking as the Flyers are, their decision-makers aren’t getting caught up in their own hype.
“When it comes to the deadline, we’re going to listen,” Tortorella told NBC Sports. “If we feel it’s the right thing to do for the future of the organization, we’ll do it.
“Those guys on expiring contracts, everybody’s always kind of checking around, so we’ll see where it goes. We’re not out there shopping Sean Walker, but we’d be dopes if we didn’t listen.”
11. Think Ridly Greig’s goalie-free clapper was disrespectful?
Well, how about this stunt by Washington defenceman Calle Johansson during the 1998 Eastern Conference semifinals? Against the Ottawa Senators, no less.
12. Live your best life this weekend. Like Matt Duchene.
The guy suffers the embarrassment of a buyout and responds by rallying to point-per-game form for the division-leading Dallas Stars and is a career-best plus-17.
Thursday night, in a return visit to Nashville against the team that didn’t want him, Duchene scored twice in a 9-2 romp, then grabbed a guitar and tore down the Tootsie’s stage a few steps away.
