The Blackhawks are set to open NHL free agency Monday with their first of potentially several big splashes.
Scrappy playmaking forward Tyler Bertuzzi will sign a four-year contract with the Hawks once the window officially opens at 11 a.m. CT, per reports by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta and TSN’s Darren Dreger.
The contract will carry a $5.5 million salary-cap hit and extend until 2028, two years past the expiry Connor Bedard’s entry-level contract — demonstrating Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson’s willingness to give out longer-term contracts, something he originally seemed hesitant to do.
The Hawks are expected to make several other notable signings in the coming days as they seek to add more talent to their forward corps as well as more depth and experience to their defense and goalie groups.
Bertuzzi, 29, tallied 43 points — 21 goals and 22 assists — in 80 games for the Maple Leafs last season, and he should be able to improve upon those numbers with a larger role in Chicago than he had in Toronto (where he averaged 16 minutes of ice time per game).
Back in 2021-22, his final season with the Red Wings, he averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time and erupted for a career-best 62 points — 30 goals and 32 assists — in 68 games.
He does have an injury history, however, having missed most of 2020-21 with a back injury and a sizable chunk of 2022-23 with a wrist injury.