Question for all Leafs fans:
Is the Tyler Bertuzzi contract a good one?


Here's the reasoning;
32 in 69(on the Habs)
vs
30 in 50(on the Bruins and Red Wings(top line too)).

They had the same +/- despite Anderson playing on a statistically worse defensive team, and playing more games.

Injury status also can't be brought up seeing as Anderson has played 100 or so more games in only one more season.

I like Bert a lot, love his physical game and playoff game, but the same could be said about Anderson. Going off of that, I would call them very similar players.

One is not definitively better than the other. But that's my opinion, and it ain't a popular one. Just trying to give value or shed light on a player that's given too much hate at face value. Not to mention that Bert's looking for a substantial raise next year, which would probably give him higher cap AND longer term than Anderson's current contract.

Anyway, blah blah blah I have 2 final questions, and I want honest answers to see how Leafs fans value their players(bc I just read an Editor In Leaf article calling the Sammy-Woll pairing one of the best in the league;

1.Do you like Tyler Bertuzzi on your team, and where do you project him in the lineup?

2.Would you offer to Boston last year this package, expecting them to say yes?

Also, going off of a lot of other comments under Anderson to TML mock trades, no it isn't Habs fans trading him at this price, and when will it stop? Is it to annoy us??

Uhhh you planning on paying for that 10M in retention or what?

Where's the bloody value? Very big decline

it also still leaves them like $3.5M above the cap...Leafs aren't in any position to buy a player without dumping a big contract which would be a swap. I honestly can't believe anyone thinks this is 1. fair, and 2. realistically happening. Also, going based off of Kent and Brad's short history, Kent is the one winning trades.

Kent Hughes isn't dumb, He's not eating $10,000,000 for 4 years for that garbage offer. That offer isn't even close.

Bert contract's better bc of his ratty play style and playoff production... Anderson doesn't show up in the playoffs (6 points in 22 games to Bert's 10 points in 7 games) and Anderson isn't as mobile as Bert, which compliments Keefe's style a ton... On the Bruins, Bert was 3rd line BTW... Bert's also scored 30 before, Anderson has not

And as for the questions:
1. Yes, I do as long as he's not the only guy (Same sentiment on Reaves and Domi, but now they have each other and a young Matthews Knies), I project him (as long as nothing else happens minus Nylander and Matthews extension) along side JT and Marner bc Matthews wants to play with Jarnkrok
2. I wouldn't offer anyone this package expecting them to say yes... unless it's a cap dump at 50% that could provide value (not describing Anderson... But like a Lucic last year)

Only 4 more years of saying NO to TML's fans trying to trade for Anderson retained.

But does Josh Anderson get moved at $5.5m? Right-sizing a bloated contract is not the same as eating salary off a fair market value deal.

the future most Habs fans want is to trade Anderson 2 years down the line, then use the retention spot. They'd like to avoid using 2/3 of the retention spots on Anderson right now, saving one for Hoffman and one for a 3rd team retention or Savard or Allen or Dvorak.

Agreed with pretty much every point. However, Should Anderson then at 50% retained not be traded for a similar or more package to Bertuzzi to Boston?

A top-10 protected 1st and a 4th for Tyler Bertuzzi at $2.375M. A trade comp brought up like that in trade discussions would erase the playoff argument

So why should the Habs say yes

I'm not saying they're the same player, nor do they have the same value. I just believe that at 50$ retained, he is very similar to Tyler Bertuzzi and his trade to Boston.

March 2nd 2023-
Boston gets-Tyler Bertuzzi at 50% retained ($2.375M)

Detroit gets-2024 top10 protected 1st, 2025 4th

So, at 50% ($2.75) is Anderson's value so far off of that?

Sure, Tyler reached 62 points and his point production is very consistently high points pg wise, but he'd never played a single playoff game atp, while Anderson showed that his presence could change a series. An argument could also be said about high scoring vs low scoring playoff games, though it isn't a strong one.

Anyway, I agree that Bertuzzi is a more valuable player than Anderson. However, the value isn't that polarizing. This has been my case that yes, Anderson deserves a 1st at 50% retention. Avoiding the forced narrative that he's a cap dump. He's not, and at ~$3M he'd arguably be worth more than Bertuzzi at $5.5M.

Sure, to an extent. It's not a retention blank check, like a certain team's fans love to pretend it is.

I think JA should be looked at as a Jeannot type of situation- not saying they are similar players, just saying that the sooner you trade at the right moment, the better the package will receive... Another issue is that the right team needs to go after JA to get that extremely good package... A team like TBL or the Wild on July 1st or the Oilers come to mind... And 2/3 GMs have been known to make some very overpaying moves to get what they want (Jeannot trade/Nurse extension etc.)

IMO, anything containing a 1st should be jumped on by Hughes... even at 50% retention for 4 years for only a 1st... But, if I were a GM, the max I'd want to pay for JA's services is a 2nd+3rd... Doesn't matter about how he produces this season unless he falls off of the grace of the earth in terms of the production he gives already bc everyone knows JA's going to play more and more to prop up his value to get the best return possible




But diff is that people knew Bert was going to do well in the playoffs (based off of his play style alone) and with Boston whereas JA hasn't done much during the playoffs (Again, I'll point to 6 points in 22 games in '21 and only having an average of 0.2 more hits per game in '21 than Matthews did these playoffs)... JA hasn't been very good in the playoffs...

To sum, based on all the factors (If I'm the Leafs GM) right now including RS production and Postseason production... I'm not trading Bert at 5.5 for JA 50% retained at 2.75... JA doesn't fit with the Leafs as well as Bert does, Bert's ups and downs are better and in the playoffs, Bert is way more effective (10 points in 7 games).

JA at 5.5 is a cap dump... At 50% retained, he's worth roughly a 2nd and a 4rth but a team could pay a 3rd to get him and IMO, a better comparison to JA is Max Domi than Bert

If you want, Take my opinion with a grain of salt but you wanted my opinion on his value, so here's my opinion

This is the equivalent of trading Tavares at half retained for peanuts. A much worse contract.

That line of thinking doesn't make sense. Montreal doesn't want to move Anderson. Hell, most Montreal fans don't want to move Anderson. Most insiders say that his contract bloated either.

There is none

Just like Josh Anderson

Bro what? You want Josh Anderson for essentially free and Montreal to take the LTIR bound Muzzin AND retain 10 million over 4 years. Are you high? I know that Anderson is 1 or 2 mill overpayed but he was almost 0.5 ppg winger who was on pace for 25 goals on the second line of the 5th last place team. You can’t get the for nothing.

Leaves add Nylander, Habs add Pitlick