When the Bruins announced Thursday morning that they acquired pugnacious winger Tyler Bertuzzi, it felt like another domino was destined to fall.
Boston might have coveted Bertuzzi’s agitating style of play and propensity to drive the puck into Grade-A ice. But even with Detroit retaining 50 percent of his $4.75 million cap hit, Boston didn’t have the fiscal flexibility to bring in its new pickup.
Shortly after Thursday’s deal was completed, Boston crafted the necessary cap space. But it came at a significant cost.
In order to take in Bertuzzi’s contract, the Bruins placed Taylor Hall on long-term injured reserve — temporarily allowing Boston to exceed the league’s $82.