New Maple Leafs forward already injured just 4 games into the season
Just before puck drop on Thursday, we found out that Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi was going to play against the Panthers after some speculation earlier in the day that he might miss the game. His presence in the pre-game skate was a pretty good indicator that he was good to go, but during the game, Sheldon Keefe had shuffled the deck and moved Bertuzzi down into the bottom six to shelter his minutes, which seemed odd at the time.
After the game, the Leafs' head coach confirmed that Bertuzzi was, in fact, dealing with some form of an injury, but did not get into specifics. Keefe also mentioned that Bertuzzi may be in line to miss some time, stating that he may need at least a few games off.
"Bert's playing less than 100 percent right now. It's very clear from the pace of the game, the physicality and competitiveness of the game and the difficulty of the matchups, whoever was going to play with Auston (Matthews and Mitch (Marner) needed a lot and I thought lightening his load was beneficial to him." - Keefe on Bertuzzi.
Bertuzzi played in just 50 games last season between the Wings and Bruins due to injury, scoring just 8 times and registering 30 points. He did come alive in the playoffs for Boston when healthy, producing 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in 7 games, but the fact that he's already nursing an injury just 4 games into the season is a bad sign.
| POLL | ||
How many games do you think Tyler Bertuzzi will play for the Leafs this season? | ||
| Less than 30 | 41 | 38 % |
| 31-50 | 18 | 16.7 % |
| 51-70 | 10 | 9.3 % |
| More than 70 | 39 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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