Tyler Bertuzzi was awarded a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings by an independent arbitrator Tuesday.
The 25-year-old forward had a salary arbitration hearing Sunday. He was the first of 26 restricted free agents who filed for arbitration to have a hearing.
"Obviously it was a little different than anything I've ever been through," Bertuzzi said Wednesday. "But it went smoothly and we're happy that we got a deal done. I'm happy to be back."
Bertuzzi set an NHL career high in points (48) and tied his high in goals (21) in 71 games with Detroit last season. He was selected to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.
Bertuzzi was asked whether the one-year contract could give him an opportunity to build on his numbers from last season in hopes of a potential long-term contract after this season.
"Of course," he said. "But that being said, whether I sign five, four, six years, every year you need to perform and you need to work hard and contribute. Even if I signed a six-year deal, I'll play every game like I'm on a one-year deal. I just need to prove every year that I'm a good player and I want to contribute for this team."
Selected by Detroit in the second round (No. 58) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Bertuzzi has scored 119 points (49 goals, 70 assists) in 199 NHL games.
He said the experience gained after four seasons in the League should help him improve even further heading into this season.
"Obviously experience helps a lot," he said. "That's going to keep growing as I keep playing more games and getting more experience. Just working on little things and we've got a good group here in Detroit, skating and working out. We're all working out together and working hard, bonding as a team. We're all looking forward to coming back."
NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin contributed to this report
