Todd Bertuzzi has been reunited with former Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke in Anaheim.
Burke, now general manager of the Stanley Cup champion Ducks, signed Bertuzzi to a two-year, $8 million contract.
As Burke's signing on July 1st of Mathieu Schneider likely heralds the retirement of Scott Niedermayer, so the signing of Bertuzzi could signal the retirement of Teemu Selanne.
It's not surprising that Burke signed Bertuzzi, as he thought highly of the hulking power forward during their years together in Vancouver, standing up for "Big Bert" in the aftermath of his brutal blindsiding punch that forced former Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore into retirement.
Bertuzzi still carries that baggage with him, but of more concern now is the status of his back, which forced him into surgery and waylaid him for most of a 2006-07 season split between the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings and hampered his performance in the 2007 playoffs with the Red Wings.
According to Bertuzzi his back is fine and he's looking forward to rebounding back to his former highscoring form. Evidently, Burke's faith in the big guy hasn't faltered, and if Bertuzzi does return to form the Ducks will remain a dangerous offensive team.
If not, however, here's hoping Burke didn't overpay for Bertuzzi.
As for the Red Wings, they're now in the market for a scoring winger, but after giving Brian Rafalski a $6 million per season contract and still trying to re-sign goalie Dominik Hasek, there won't be much money available. GM Ken Holland will be checking out the UFA bargain bin.