Seven games into his Blackhawks tenure, forward Tyler Bertuzzi has yet to record a point during five-on-five play.
It’s early in the season, but that’s not what the Hawks expected from their most expensive free-agent signing of the summer (four years with a $5.5 million salary-cap hit). It’s imperative that they find a way to get him going soon.
“Every day…you’re learning something new,” Bertuzzi said Wednesday. “I feel like my game is getting better slowly as the season progresses, so I’ve just got to stick with it.”
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson knew exactly what he was getting with Bertuzzi: a net-front pest with a knack for scoring goals off tips and rebounds within a six-foot radius of the goalie.
Last season on the Maple Leafs, 17 of Bertuzzi’s 21 goals were scored in or around the crease, and two others came from barely further out. The only exceptions were one breakaway goal and one empty-net goal. Watching his highlights package almost inspires a sense of deja vu, considering how similar many of the clips are to each other.
“That’s my goal, to be around the net and try to get those types of goals,” Bertuzzi said. “You’re going to eat some cross-checks when you’re there. That’s just all part of it, and hopefully you get rewarded sometimes.”
His identity hasn’t changed since last season, and on the Hawks’ power play, he has found his niche and made an impact with that skill. He has been credited with seven high-danger scoring chances on power plays during the last three games, and he has scored twice — via a high-slot deflection against the Sharks and by banging in a rebound Tuesday against the Canucks.
Outside of power plays, however, Bertuzzi has been little more than a passenger so far.
The Hawks’ second line with Philipp Kurashev centering Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall hasn’t clicked as a whole, although Hall has generated some nice moments individually. Andreas Athanasiou was ineffective in place of Kurashev on Tuesday, and the latter will return from his healthy-scratch punishment to reclaim that role Friday against the Predators.
That trio isn’t creating enough offensive-zone possession time to allow Bertuzzi to establish himself in front of the net, and Bertuzzi isn’t a fast enough skater to keep up with Hall or Kurashev on the rush. That’s not a new development, either; he ranked third-to-last on the Leafs in terms of shots off the rush, per All Three Zones.
As a result, Bertuzzi is not only not producing but also getting relatively few opportunities to produce. His shots-on-goal rate per 60 minutes of five-on-five play has declined slightly since last season (from 6.9 to 6.2) while his scoring-chance rate has dropped precipitously (from 8.5 to 4.1), as has his high-danger scoring-chance rate (from 5.1 to 2.1).
It’s basically the opposite situation from Connor Bedard, whose underlying numbers suggest his goal-scoring should increase very soon. In Bertuzzi’s case, his combination of low productivity and poor analytics suggests much more cause for concern.
Aside from longer offensive-zone shifts, coach Luke Richardson floated the idea that Bertuzzi could ignite his five-on-five production by using his stick to force turnovers, then immediately dishing the puck to a linemate and trailing the rush to clean up scraps. His lone off-the-rush Leafs goal was scored that way.
“[He’s] not known to be the fastest 200-foot skater, but…he strips pucks, he knocks pucks down and he makes quick plays,” Richardson said. “As people are trying to glue themselves to him defensively, I think that’s where he’s going to start getting extra points, especially on the forecheck or in the neutral zone — stealing pucks and transitioning that into offense.”