NHL Offseason Thread -- Vancouver Edition (NHL Offseason / NHL Golf Tourney)

[Asher]

It's official:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242732&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl

BERTUZZI RETURNS TO CANADA, SIGNS ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH FLAMES

Todd Bertuzzi is coming back to Canada.

The Calgary Flames have announced they have signed the power forward to a one-year contract.

"Todd is a proven scorer with the ability to play both wings," said Flames GM Darryl Sutter in a statement. "He expressed to us that he wanted to play in Canada and that desire along with signing him to a one year deal was important to our philosophy. He wanted to play on a good team and it fit our money. Additionally, our captain, Jarome Iginla, was a strong supporter of Todd and wanted him on our team."

Bertuzzi signed a two-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks last year, but was recently bought out by the team - once again making him an unrestricted free agent.

The native of Sudbury, Ontario played in just 68 games for the Ducks last season, missing time with a concussion early in the season. Bertuzzi marked 14 goals and 26 assists last season, while also amassing 97 penalty minutes.

Bertuzzi's best season occured in 2002-03, when he scored 46 goals, 51 assists and was named to the First NHL All-Star team. Bertuzzi's career took a downward turn in 2004, when he was suspended indefinitely by the league for deliberately injurying the Avalanche's Steve Moore.

In June 2006, Bertuzzi was traded to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster package that brought Roberto Luongo back to Vancouver and was engineered by then-Panther GM, and current Flames head coach, Mike Keenan.

However, a herniated disk in his back limited Bertuzzi to just seven games with the Panthers and he was eventually traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he played just eight more games.

He'd better be cheap...

[Asher]

1 year, 1.95 million, per the Herald.

[Asher]

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080707.wsptbert7/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home

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Bertuzzi excited to play with Iginla

ERIC DUHATSCHEK

Globe and Mail Update

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July 7, 2008 at 4:02 PM EDT

CALGARY —

For all the reasons Todd Bertuzzi chose to make his NHL next stop in Calgary, the primary factor was not the money, but the opportunity — to play with Flames' captain Jarome Iginla.

"I gotta to say, Jarome is 100 per cent why I'm a Calgary Flame," said Bertuzzi. "I had great talks with him. Everything he said about the organization and the city was nothing but positive. Haven't talked to my family, we decided it was a good opportunity for us and we couldn't pass it by."

Bertuzzi signed a one-year, $1.95 million deal with the Flames Monday, after he received a buyout from the final year of his contract with the Anaheim Ducks about 10 days ago, making him an unrestricted free agent. General manager Darryl Sutter also stressed that Iginla's input into the decision was a significant reason why he opted to sign Bertuzzi for his NHL team — that and the fact he agreed to come for one season, for modest dollars, on a team that will be at or near the NHL salary cap of $56.7 million for the upcoming season.

Apart from the fact that both are represented by the same agents, Newport Sports, Bertuzzi and Iginla have a history dating back to the 2006 Canadian Olympic team and a couple of NHL all-star games, but Sutter suggested their familiarity stemmed more from playing against each other as opposed to with each other — and that a mutual respect had developed as a result.

"I've always appreciated the way Jarome has carried himself and how he's played in that market," said Bertuzzi. "I'm pretty sure there are many times he could have taken off somewhere else but he wanted to stick around and play there; he's had so much fun there. My conversations with him were very positive. It'll be nice to be in the dressing room with him now.

"Jarome knows he pretty well and what I stand for and what I hope to get out of this."

Bertuzzi's days as public enemy No. 1 in Calgary, even pre-date the Steve Moore incident. The Flames and the Canucks developed a significant rivalry prior to the lockout, jockeying for position in the Northwest Division and played a memorable seven-game playoff series in 2004 that propelled Calgary to its first Stanley Cup final appearance in 15 years.

Bertuzzi said he hoped it wouldn't take "too long" to win the fans over.

"The last thing you want to do is be a home guy and get booed," he said. "But you know what? It's a great Canadian market; and they're passionate about their hockey. I'm excited to come there. It's always been a fun rink for me to play in, especially the amount of games we've had against Calgary in playoffs and so — hopefully, it won't take too long."

While Sutter said he would he satisfied with production comparable to what Owen Nolan provided Calgary last season (32 points), Bertuzzi suggested he believed he was still capable of becoming an elite-level player again.

"Absolutely," said Bertuzzi. "I wouldn't be playing. I would have announced my retirement then.

"Moving around that much, moving my family that much, it takes its toll on your family. It'd be selfish for me to continue doing something like that. Calgary's giving me an opportunity to come in and to get some ice time and play. I still think I can get back up there and contribute what they need."

Bertuzzi said he was caught off guard "a little" by Anaheim's decision to buy him out after only one season, in which he scored 40 points in 68 games. Although plagued by a chronic back problem, Bertuzzi said it gave him no issues last season; the 14 games he missed were as a result of a concussion.

"I thought that coming in there, I thought I was going to get an opportunity of playing with (Ryan) Getzlaf and (Corey) Perry and I only played a handful of games with them," said Bertuzzi. "I think the writing was on the wall in the end."

Sutter said he didn't think there was too much risk involved in signing Bertuzzi.

"The size of our forwards (smallish) was really important," said Sutter, "the ability to play two positions. It gives us a lot of different options, with Cammalleri being a centre and a left winger; with Bertuzzi being a left winger and a right winger. I just think it's a different look and a different fit. Then I look at our power play. Even though we have the elements of Phaneuf and Iginla on it, I still think you put Cammalleri on there now and Bertuzzi, it gives you a totally different look — and it makes a big difference.

"Again, it goes back to understanding where the player's at. I don't think you're expecting Todd to come in and be a 30 or 40-goal guy. That's not relevant. That's if he was a $4 million or a $5 million player. What's relevant is, what we are going to pay him and where we think he fits, it's a really good fit for us. And that's how Jarome felt also. And that's good. That's a good thing. I think Jarome, if you asked him, wouldn't look at it like four or five years ago, he'd look at it as right now."

Bertuzzi has amassed 793 games over the course of his 12 seasons in the NHL. During that period, he has accumulated 580 points from 240 goals and 340 assists. Last season with the Anaheim Ducks, Bertuzzi recorded 40 points, including 14 goals in 68 games. He has recorded 50-plus points in six of his last eight seasons including a 97 point performance in the 2002-03 campaign. The 33-year-old has played in at least 68 games in six of his last eight seasons.

[Ben Kenobi]

Awesome the player Asher ranted on about being one of the worst thugs in the NHL is ok, when he dons an orange jersey.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Awesome the player Asher ranted on about being one of the worst thugs in the NHL is ok, when he dons an orange jersey.

Never said that at all.

He's not okay, I hate him very much. But I'm okay with him being on the team provided he's not expensive and he does what he's told to do.

In a lot of ways, it is nice to know that the next person he tries to kill won't be a Flame. (Hopefully.)

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Awesome the player Asher ranted on about being one of the worst thugs in the NHL is ok,

I don't know that I will ever respect Bert as a person but the league has said he can play-- Assessing the Flames they had a need for a power forward type and he fits the bill-- He does have enormous upside and at 1.95 if he fails that is not the end of the world

I watched Bert play a bit in Anaheim lat year and despite the fact they released him, he was often pretty good.

So overall while I don't love the guy they got, the Flames finally have a true in your face, camp out in front of the goalie and give and take the hard knocks type power forward


Now does he play left wing with Iggy and Langkow or does he drop to line 2 ? I guess Cammelerie is the most likely possibility for Iggy duty on line one while Bourque seems to be pencilled in for line two duty although who knows where Glencross will ultimately fit in?


Overall I think the Flames have gotten a little meaner and tougher-- But then again since the departures were Tanguay and Huselius, it was almost impossible not to get tougher

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
when he dons an orange jersey.

Orange ?? Did he go to the Flyers already??

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Mr Snuggles


Never said that at all.

He's not okay, I hate him very much. But I'm okay with him being on the team provided he's not expensive and he does what he's told to do.

In a lot of ways, it is nice to know that the next person he tries to kill won't be a Flame. (Hopefully.)

He might get confused and hit Iginla by mistake... he's been an an awful lot of teams lately after all...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Flubber


I don't know that I will ever respect Bert as a person but the league has said he can play-- Assessing the Flames they had a need for a power forward type and he fits the bill-- He does have enormous upside and at 1.95 if he fails that is not the end of the world

I watched Bert play a bit in Anaheim lat year and despite the fact they released him, he was often pretty good.

So overall while I don't love the guy they got, the Flames finally have a true in your face, camp out in front of the goalie and give and take the hard knocks type power forward


Now does he play left wing with Iggy and Langkow or does he drop to line 2 ? I guess Cammelerie is the most likely possibility for Iggy duty on line one while Bourque seems to be pencilled in for line two duty although who knows where Glencross will ultimately fit in?


Overall I think the Flames have gotten a little meaner and tougher-- But then again since the departures were Tanguay and Huselius, it was almost impossible not to get tougher

Cammalleri is slated to be a center, according to Keenan, though he can play C/LW.

Some lines I'm toying with in my head:

Bertuzzi - Cammalleri - Iginla
Bourque - Langkow - Lombo
Boyd - Conroy - Glencross
Nystrom - Prust - Moss

Or

Bertuzzi - Langkow - Iginla
Cammalleri - Lombo - Boyd
Bourque - Conroy - Glencross
Nystrom - Prust - Moss

Or

Cammalleri - Langkow - Iginla
Boyd - Lombo - Bertuzzi
Bourque - Conroy - Glencross
Nystrom - Prust - Moss

Orange ?? Did he go to the Flyers already??

We've already been over this with Ben before, I think the kid is colourblind.

[Ben Kenobi]

Orange ?? Did he go to the Flyers already??

You have a mix of dark orange and light orange, are you seriously saying the flames are as red as the red wings?

[Asher]

It is red, Ben. It is not as dark as Detroit's red, but it's undeniably red.



This is orange:

[snoopy369]

The latter picture is RED ORANGE. Take out your box of crayolas if you need to

Seriously, though ... can we not have this idiotic argument over again please?

[Asher]

I love it.

Vancouver signs David Backes (from St Louis) to an offer sheet last week.

St Louis returns fire today and signs Steve Bernier (from Vancouver) to an offer sheet today (2.5 mil yr / 3 years). Vancouver just gave up some picks to acquire the rights to Bernier...

[snoopy369]

Offer Sheet = RFA offer that the other team can match, but in this case intended presumably to force the other team to raise their cost on that player (ie, an offer they don't intend to actually pay)?

Interesting gamesmanship...

[Asher]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Offer Sheet = RFA offer that the other team can match, but in this case intended presumably to force the other team to raise their cost on that player (ie, an offer they don't intend to actually pay)?

Interesting gamesmanship...

Yep.

Gillis' inexperience as a GM is showing. He should've signed Bernier soon after trading for him (eg, how Sutter signed Bourque within a few days).

[Ben Kenobi]

I don't see ANY orange on the Red Wing's Jersey.

Calgary is closer to Philly then Detroit.