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CALGARY — So naturally, your first thought is, what could they possibly be thinking?
How could the Calgary Flames, with their eyes wide open, possibly sign Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year contract with the NHL team? After all that happened — the Steve Moore incident and the persistent distraction that it had become; the decline in production, the injuries — after all that, how could the Flames assume the risk of putting Bertuzzi in their line-up next season, a year in which they legitimately think they can challenge for a Stanley Cup?
The official explanation, on a conference call with the general manager, Darryl Sutter, was basically this: That Bertuzzi, at $1.95 million for one season, represented good value in terms of what he could bring to a hockey club, needing to replace another 30-something power forward, Owen Nolan. Sutter suggested he didn't spend "five seconds" worrying about how Flames' fans would react to the signing of a player who, at different times, had been public enemy No. 1 in Calgary — this even before the infamous Steve Moore incident. Nor did Sutter worry at all about what a distraction Bertuzzi might be in the dressing room of a team, playing in a major Canadian market, where he will be back to answering questions, day after day.
No, Sutter couched this strictly as a hockey deal to improve his team that made sense financially in terms of his payroll — and figured that Bertuzzi didn't even need to return to his previous productive levels in order to justify the expenditure. Half-a-dozen years ago, Bertuzzi was a top-10 NHL scorer.
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Sutter also stressed that Jarome Iginla's endorsement carried considerable weight in his decision, and that coach Mike Keenan — even though he had a history with Bertuzzi, dating back to his Vancouver and Florida days — had little actual input into the move.
Sutter said he spoke frequently to Iginla about possible player moves and "the one player he identified more than anyone else was Bertuzzi" and had Bertuzzi atop his list of potential replacements for Nolan from the moment, the Ducks cut him loose.
Bertuzzi did not have much of a year last year, playing for Ducks general manager Brian Burke, the man who staunchly defended his actions in the wake of the Moore incident — in which Bertuzzi came up behind the Colorado Avalanche player and rodeo-ed him to the ice. Moore hasn't played since — civil action in the case is still pending and came up a handful of times in the 40-point season Bertuzzi delivered for the Ducks last season in 68 games. Ten days ago, the Ducks bought out the final year of the two-year, $8 million contract they signed Bertuzzi to last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The Flames — one of the more stubborn organizations operating in the NHL nowadays — were prepared to swim against the conventional tide on this signing and take a chance that Bertuzzi can help them as a top-six forward.
Bertuzzi's signing came a day after they lost Owen Nolan to the Minnesota Wild on a two-year contract. In some ways, Bertuzzi and Nolan share a lot of common personality traits — they are veteran power forwards, who can be moody and hard to get along with, depending upon how they rolled out of bed on a given morning. Nolan's departure, along with Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay, means three of last year's top-six forwards have moved on, leaving the team woefully thin on the wings, in terms of scoring. How thin? Well, if newly acquired Mike Cammalleri plays centre, something Keenan indicated at the draft he wants him to do, then the leading scorer among wingers after Jarome Iginla's 50 will be Bertuzzi's 14.
Iginla and Bertuzzi played together on Canada's 2006 men's Olympic hockey team. It would be uncharacteristic of Iginla to say anything but the most welcoming words about the team's latest signing — and who knows? He might even believe them. Iginla signed a five-year, $35 million contract extension with Calgary because he wants to win a championship desperately at some point in his career. Given how the line-up of a team that couldn't get out of the first round even has evolved so far this summer, he presumably will believe that any help is better than nothing at all — even if it comes with weighty baggage and a strong sense among people around the NHL that Bertuzzi's best days are behind him, even though he is only 33.
In the official statement accompanying the signing, Sutter described Bertuzzi as "a proven scorer with the ability to play both wings.
"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."
It was six years ago, in the 2001-02 season, that Bertuzzi chased Iginla and his former Canucks' teammate Markus Naslund for the NHL scoring title. Iginla finished first with 96 points, Bertuzzi third with 85. Bertuzzi is slow by today's NHL standards, but Iginla's normal centre, Daymond Langkow, isn't exactly fleet of foot either. Once again, the operating philosophy in Calgary seems to be out of step with the rest of the league. As everyone else moves to young and fleet, Calgary continues to load up on experienced and physical. That's the polite way of putting it. It'll be up to Bertuzzi to prove he is more than just old, slow and cranky.
