5 Toronto Maple Leafs That Have Been a Major Disappointment So Far This Season
Tyler Bertuzzi
When the Leafs brought in Tyler Bertuzzi this past offseason, many had him penciled in as the most suitable replacement for Michael Bunting on the Leafs top line with Matthews and Mitch Marner.
After all, his gritty style of play and ruthless forechecking fits perfectly with the nifty passing of Marner and the lethal scoring ability of Matthews.
In addition, along with being a target acquisition for the team in the past, the tremendous offensive impact he had with the Boston Bruins during the playoffs most likely convinced the Leafs in making their decision to sign him.
However, 12 games into the season now, we have seen Bertuzzi fall from his top line duties down to the second line, along with suffering a power outage in his ability to help the team generate any kind of offence. As a matter of fact, he has probably provided more negative value overall with his turnovers and penalties, compared to his offensive contributions.
On the season, Bertuzzi has only two goals, both coming on the power play, along with one assist for three points.
More worrisome was the fact he has taken six minor penalties already, with many of the careless type. In addition, he has also committed nine turnovers, with many leading directly to a scoring chance by the opposition.
His careless, lacklustre style of play has even earned him some time on the bench in recent games.
This is not what the Leafs were expecting when they signed him and will certainly need him to turn his game around soon before he gets further demoted to the bottom-six.