The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a column this morning which discusses Tyler Bertuzzi’s takes on the Red Wings’ offseason moves, his status as “playing for his next contract” on a one-year deal and his and the rest of the Red Wings’ uncertainty as to when the NHL might start its 2020-2021 season:
“Whether I sign five, four, six years, every year you need to perform and you need to work hard and contribute,” Bertuzzi said. “So even if signed a six-year deal, I’ll play every game like I’m on a one-year deal. I need to prove every year that I’m a good player and I want to contribute to this team.”
When he’ll get to contribute is uncertain, since the pandemic has pushed the start of the 2020-21 season at least into January. The AHL announced this week it is targeting a Feb. 5 start date.
The Wings favor allowing the seven teams that weren’t part of the playoff bubble to meet earlier than the 24 playoff teams that got to play in August. The Wings have not played since March 10.
“We’re all on board with that, get back in it with the coaching staff,” Bertuzzi said. “I think that’s going to be a crucial two weeks for us to dig deep and get things done.”
