Tyler Bertuzzi spoke after joining the Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a few moves to get better in NHL Free Agency. They reunited with Teuvo Teravainen this summer after trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015. Chicago also added another veteran forward who certainly could make life easier for Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks signed forward Tyler Bertuzzi after talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs stalled out.

Bertuzzi joins his fourth Original Six franchise in the last two years. He began his career with the Detroit Red Wings but was traded to the Boston Bruins in March 2023. A few months later, he signed a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs in NHL Free Agency. Now, he will put on a Blackhawks sweater. However, this outcome almost didn't happen.

Bertuzzi spoke with the media on Friday for the first time as a Chicago player. And he admitted that the Blackhawks were not a team he had on his radar before the market opened on Monday. However, a phone call from former Bruins teammate Nick Foligno helped put Chicago on the map. “He said, ‘They’re a little bit interested.’ I was excited about that and then things kind of went from there,” he said, via NHL.com.

Tyler Bertuzzi ‘excited' after joining Blackhawks

Bertuzzi comes to the Blackhawks with the aim of raising the quality of the team. Chicago is working through a rebuild this summer, but they want to start becoming more competitive sooner rather than later. They have a franchise cornerstone in Connor Bedard as well as promising prospects such as Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic on the back end.

Bertuzzi and Teravainen are meant to help those young players along in their development. Of course, Chicago also wants to win more hockey games. And they certainly can help the Blackhawks in this regard. But making sure players like Bedard are making the strides they need to make is crucial toward Chicago's long-term success.

Bringing in veteran players is a great sign for the Blackhawks. Bertuzzi echoed this sentiment on Friday. Adding these respected players brings a ton of positives to the Chicago roster. And it has Bertuzzi itching to get the 2024-25 campaign underway.

“I think I was the first and to see more singings after that was intriguing and great to see,” he said, via NHL.com. “A lot of veterans, guys who have played a lot of games in the League, a few who have won Stanley Cups. That’s a great move to start getting, heading in the right direction. I’m looking forward to it, meeting all the guys and I’m sure they’re excited as well.”