The end has come for longtime Blue Robert Bortuzzo, and not in the way most expected. The Cup-winning but now seldom-used blueliner is off to the New York Islanders, who are a team in dire need after seeing three regular defensemen hit IR.
Bortuzzo was with the Blues for 10 seasons and some great memories, acquired way back in the day when Ken Hitchcock couldn’t trust Ian Cole and shattered his confidence. At the time of that trade, it seemed a potential mismatch, but it did address a need since Bortuzzo was a blueliner Hitch could trust. Bortuzzo accumulated 424 games and 16 goals as a Blue — plus a helluva few playoff runs and a Cup ring.
But today, at age 34, Bortuzzo was in the last year of a two-year deal that carries only a $950,000 cap hit. Of the overpaid and underperforming blueline, he was not the problem. But they only used him in four games this season, and Tyler Tucker and Scott Perunovich are starting to gain the staff’s trust, so this may be a nice landing spot for Bortz.
His new team needs him. He’ll get to block shots ‘n stuff. And he’ll appear in more than four games over a three-month span.