Just before puck drop on Thursday, we found out that Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi was going to play against the Panthers after some speculation earlier in the day that he might miss the game. His presence in the pre-game skate was a pretty good indicator that he was good to go, but during the game, Sheldon Keefe had shuffled the deck and moved Bertuzzi down into the bottom six to shelter his minutes, which seemed odd at the time.
After the game, the Leafs' head coach confirmed that Bertuzzi was, in fact, dealing with some form of an injury, but did not get into specifics. Keefe also mentioned that Bertuzzi may be in line to miss some time, stating that he may need at least a few games off.
Bertuzzi played in just 50 games last season between the Wings and Bruins due to injury, scoring just 8 times and registering 30 points. He did come alive in the playoffs for Boston when healthy, producing 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in 7 games, but the fact that he's already nursing an injury just 4 games into the season is a bad sign.
