And there was much whining to be had!

Like it or not, Todd Bertuzzi is joining the club as players who are most likely going to retire as Red Wings. In what seemed like a difficult negotiation, Detroit finally conceded on their plan to not offer him a raise, giving him a two-year deal, weighted at $2.25 million for the first year, but evening out at a cap hit of $1,937,500.

I'm in favor to this with a slight after-taste of indifference. I've said repeatedly that I don't like the idea of giving Bertuzzi a raise on a multi-year deal, given his history of injuries and other off-ice baggage. His back has nagged him in particular, which isn't a good sign for a 35-year-old. But he came into this season saying he feels healthier than he's been in five seasons, and went on to play 82 regular season and 12 playoff games for Detroit. I really don't think you can count on many 35 (and eventually 36 and 37 for Bert) year-old players to not get hurt, let alone players who have missed almost entire seasons, like Bertuzzi did in 2006-07. While I liked the idea of bringing him back, I was really pulling for a two-year deal around $1.5 million. Am I happy that he got more? No. Am I going to make a big deal out of $437,500? No, well, only if it helps me prove a point.

The good news is, I believe Bertuzzi's capable of being that 20 goal scorer. Scorers of that caliber do not come at this price tag. Additionally, Bertuzzi has a fairly abusive job as he seemed to get more and more comfortable this season standing in front of the net on the second powerplay -- good news, since Johan Franzen, who used to have that job, looks much more comfortable on the wing. Bertuzzi is also an entirely different player than the one I'd seen previously in Calgary and Anaheim, as he's now willing to play in his own zone. And while I truly believe, as I did when he was signed, that he takes a good number of stupid penalties, I think he really improved in that department, and I was shocked how often he went to the box just because of the name and number on the back of his jersey.

Although December and January were the peak of his productivity, I much prefer the Bertuzzi we saw in the second half of the season and playoffs to the one we saw in the first half. The one in the first half didn't entirely understand his role. He tried to do too much, he tried to rush the puck to much, his passes were mostly last second passes that were off target when he was rushed, and yeah, he did that stupid spinning stuff a lot. I saw that our good friend Michael Petrella, who is, in my mind, the only entertaining Bertuzzi-hater, already brought that up, but that made me think: when's the last time he did that? Maybe it's a selective memory, but I truly don't remember too many spins or any other of the mostly-ineffective moves he did, specifically once he got to play with Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. I felt like he was very good on that line, and exactly the player he's going to need to be to make me truly happy with this contract.

Less is more with him. If he can play on that line, or perhaps on a Pavel Datsyuk line that doesn't include Tomas Holmstrom, I think he can be highly effective. If he plays with two skilled players he'll be more likely to get in front of the net and stay there. He's more than capable of making a play when he gets the puck, but he won't have to carry the puck as much, meaning he can really focus on his bread and butter: creating traffic just by getting in the way (good or bad), getting the puck to the shelf in close, and showing off his great hands if he needs to make a quick move in front. The reason he wasn't in this spot all season was due to injury -- I think the healthier the team is, the more productive Bertuzzi will be.

However, haters gonna hate. I'm aware of this. There's a large chunk out there that aren't going to be happy he got a raise, and who aren't going to be happy he's back all together. But, it's done -- deal with it. Given that he was inconsistent and did blow a frustrating amount of chances (I can say negative things, why can't the haters say positive things?), I wasn't absolutely convinced that he should be brought back. Part of me who didn't want him back felt like it would be a relief to not have to see a dozen or so whiny, negative tweets every time he hit the post, misplayed a puck, or did, you know, the things that many NHL players do on a regular basis. I think life would be a lot less stressful for these people if they let go of these personal vendettas, but that's their choice. I was happy with how he played, and I still think he's got more to offer.

Finally, I was going to make a post on this but it was going to be quick and to the point. Ken Holland and Jim Nill have been rewarded for their excellent decision to keep Bertuzzi by signing five-year extensions. Nill's contract includes (happily, I might add, judging from his words) a clause that says he can't interview for anyone else's GM spot. But don't feel sorry for him just yet, because in this unintentionally humorous comment, he reveals that he's paid like a GM anyway. All the money with none of the flak? Sign me up.

*Also, I know I spelled Bert's name wrong in the title; it's a reference to a "great" screenplay my roommate started to write last year. Sound like a movie you'd like to see?