The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner examines the sticky wicket that is the Red Wings’ decision as to whether Tyler Bertuzzi would be better served by taking a break and spending a full summer training for his 2018-19 campaign, or whether it might better serve Bertuzzi to reprise his role as the Grand Rapids Griffins’ resident playoff performer:
The 23-year-old Bertuzzi, who has been with the Red Wings since December, was put on the Griffins roster on the Feb. 26 trade deadline in a procedural move that made him and Coreau eligible for the AHL postseason.
At the time, [Red Wings assistant GM Ryan] Martin said, Bertuzzi was excited about the idea. But that was before Tomas Tatar was traded and before Bertuzzi took off. He has seven goals, five in the past seven games playing with Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. He has usually averaged between 15 and nearly 20 minutes per game since mid-March.
“The amount of ice time he’s gotten and how many games he’s played certainly plays a role in it,” Martin said. “Say he plays into June. He has to take some time off prior to his training (and) all of a sudden he may only get into the gym in July and August. That’s probably not enough for a player who needs to increase his body strength and work on his quickness. Those are the things we have to assess.”
Bertuzzi has thrived the past three postseasons for the Griffins. Last year, his nine goals and 19 points earned him postseason MVP as the Griffins won the Calder Cup. That 19-game run also went into June and left him with a short offseason as he also healed from a hand injury.
Continued, and Wallner confirms that Jared Coreau will be waived and sent to Grand Rapids…
Sounds like a real forward thinking management team…
I agree. Why excite another fan base about one of your players thinking it might sell tickets to your team? Why put a player in a pressure situation to see if he can keep consistently perform? Why give a player an opportunity to have real game experience when he can just prove himself in the gym?
I could never come up with how answers to those questions would be beneficial to a player. Even if it’s just for the sake of an argument.
So we’ve acknowledged that Bertuzzi needs to rest his body, then hit the gym to add muscle. That’s clear today. Was clear a month ago too.
But we want to put all of that on hold, perhaps for another 8 weeks, so he can go back to a league that he already excelled in. And then potentially not be fully ready for the next NHL season.
But hey, if it gets the Griffin’s fans excited and sells tickets then that sounds like it’s worth it!!
How about instead of the snide remarks you stop to think that every player has a different development plan. Bert needs muscle. Not more wear and tear. Whereas a guy like say Svech needs more reps and a boost in confidence. He could benefit from playing a larger role in a playoff run. Can you admit that? Or too difficult because you’re conversing with me and not one of your pals on here?
“How about instead of the snide remarks…..”
bah ahahahh a hah ah a hah ahah ah ah ah a hah ah ah!