Toronto Maple Leafs may already have a handshake deal in place with a player for January 1st

The NHLs flat cap caused by the COVID pandemic has made managing the salary cap a difficult situation. Players have been forced to take unfavorable deals and teams have been forced to lose players they'd like to keep.

This summer one of the players impacted by the flat cap was Tyler Bertuzzi. It was predicted Bertuzzi would sign a long-term contract but instead he settled for a 1-year deal with the Maple Leafs. While Bertuzzi settled on a 1-year deal it turns out that both he and the Leafs were working on a longer term deal but were unable to make the deal work.

According to Elliotte Friedman, it's very possible that the Leafs and Bertuzzi already have something in the works for January 1st.

I am of the belief that Toronto wanted to sign Tyler Bertuzzi longer and I think Bertuzzi wanted to sign longer but they didn't have the ability to do it now. What does that mean after Jan 1st?

It's possible that the Leafs and Bertuzzi already have a handshake deal in place that would allow Bertuzzi remain in Toronto for a much longer time.
This would be a great move for the Leafs, who definitely need Bertuzzi's edge and toughness.

Previously on HockeyUnplugged

Several new PTOs signed on Tuesday, including a former Olympian heading to Carolina

Maple Leafs make major announcement regarding head coach Sheldon Keefe

Matthews, McDavid, Gretzky may lose out on endorsement deals as a result of a recent ban in Ontario

POLL
30 AOUT \| 595 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs may already have a handshake deal in place with a player for January 1st Do you think Tyler Bertuzzi is a good fit in Toronto?
Yes, he's going to do great	439	73.8 %
He'll be fine	109	18.3 %
No, he's not going to fit in	47	7.9 %
LIST OF POLLS