5 Maple Leafs players who must bring their A-Game following the All-Star Break

Tyler Bertuzzi’s productivity must keep trending northward

It’s safe to say Tyler Bertuzzi is having a better season in Toronto than he did all of last year in Detroit and Boston combined. While he will never be an Auston Matthews or a William Nylander, Bertuzzi can still be a legitimate scoring threat, something he’s shown us in the past. 

He’s not even two seasons removed from his career-high of 30 goals and 62 points that he accumulated in just 68 contests. No, that productivity isn’t happening in Toronto, but if Bertuzzi converts more than roughly 7.0 percent of his shots on goal, then he will add yet another layer of scoring that the Maple Leafs can use in the middle-six.

Another upside is that Bertuzzi is gaining back more of that physical edge we saw from earlier in his career, and he’s also on pace to set a personal-best in takeaways. Opponents don’t score often at 5-on-5 when he’s on the ice, and the Maple Leafs are also making plays when in possession of the puck in the same situation. 

If we see just a little more productivity from Bertuzzi offensively, he will be a forward that opponents must further account for alongside Tavares and Nylander.