<p>Another month has come and gone in the 2024-25 NHL season, which means it is time to check in on five former Maple Leafs to see how January went with their new teams.</p>
<h2>1. Tyler Bertuzzi &#8211; Chicago Blackhawks</h2>
<p><b>Contract: 4-year, $22 million ($5.5M AAV)</b></p>
<p><b>January stats: 13 GP &#8211; 5 G &#8211; 4 A &#8211; 9 PTS</b></p>
<p><b>Season stats: 51 GP &#8211; 17 G &#8211; 11 A &#8211; 28 PTS</b></p>
<p>The last 24 games have been good to Tyler Bertuzzi. After a slow start out of the gate, recording just ten points in his first 27 games with his new club &#8211; five goals and five assists &#8211; he has been scoring at a 41-goal, 62-point pace since December 9th.</p>
<p>Despite the rocky beginning to the campaign, it wouldn&#8217;t be surprising if he continues the second half of the season on a strong note, similar to last season with the Maple Leafs when he recorded 15 goals and 22 points in his final 29 games before the playoffs.</p>
<p>Another impressive stat for Bertuzzi during this hot stretch: his 12 goals since December 9th have him tied with Seth Jarvis, Jordan Kyrou, Rickard Rakell, Aliaksei Protas, William Nylander and Auston Matthews for the fifth most in the league, prior to Saturday&#8217;s games.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">that&#39;s Bertuzzi&#39;s second goal on the power play tonight😮‍💨 <a href="https://t.co/67nxK1nfgq">pic.twitter.com/67nxK1nfgq</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1880815696311205898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>2. Ilya Samsonov &#8211; Vegas Golden Knights</h2>
<p><b>Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million</b></p>
<p><b>January stats: 7 GP &#8211; 3-3-1 &#8211; 2.74 GAA &#8211; .880 SV% &#8211; 0 SO</b></p>
<p><b>Season stats: 20 GP &#8211; 12-6-2 &#8211; 2.74 GAA &#8211; .899 SV% &#8211; 1 SO</b></p>
<p>It&#8217;s been a fascinating season for Ilya Samsonov and the Golden Knights. From starting the season hot, going 3-0-1 in his first four games while carrying a .932 save percentage to slipping a bit and then picking it back up, winning eight of his next nine starts, the month of January wasn&#8217;t as kind to the 27-year-old.</p>
<p>Samsonov got into seven starts last month, the most in any month this season, but couldn&#8217;t find the consistency that he had before January. In those seven starts, Samsonov went 3-3-1 and posted an .880 save percentage, dropping his season number to .899, after owning a .906 save percentage through the end of December.</p>
<p>Despite the rough patch for Samsonov, his team hasn&#8217;t been meeting expectations either. With a record of 3-4-3 in their last ten games and recording a record of 6-6-2 in January, Vegas struggled to score goals, averaging just 2.93 a game last month.</p>
<h2>3. T.J. Brodie &#8211; Chicago Blackhawks</h2>
<p><b>Contract: 2-year, $7.5 million ($3.75M AAV)</b></p>
<p><b>January stats: 11 GP &#8211; 0 G &#8211; 1 A &#8211; 1 PTS</b></p>
<p><b>Season stats: 46 GP &#8211; 2 G &#8211; 7 A &#8211; 9 PTS</b></p>
<p>The Chicago Blackhawks signing veteran defenceman T.J. Brodie to a two-year contract last off-season made some sense. However, looking back at it now, the term wasn&#8217;t a good idea, and the longer Brodie struggles this season with his new club, the more the signing looks like it could age poorly.</p>
<p>Brodie, 34, started to decline in play toward the end of the 2022-23 season and into the playoffs when Toronto took on Tampa Bay and Florida, continuing into the 2023-24 season and now with Chicago. For a player who hasn&#8217;t been known as a massive point producer, when their play away from the puck takes a sharp decline, it&#8217;s hard to be a positive asset on a team, which has been evident this season.</p>
<p>Looking at the counting stats, Brodie has just nine points — two goals and seven assists — in 46 games on a Blackhawks team that has struggled mightily to score goals, ranking 31st in the league (2.61 goals per game) only ahead of the Anaheim Ducks (2.51 goals per game).</p>
<h2>4. Joel Edmundson &#8211; Los Angeles Kings</h2>
<p><b>Contract: 4-year, $15.2 million ($3.8M AAV)</b></p>
<p><b>January stats: 11 GP &#8211; 0 G &#8211; 1 A &#8211; 1 PTS</b></p>
<p><b>Season stats: 45 GP &#8211; 4 G &#8211; 7 A &#8211; 11 PTS</b></p>
<p>The initial reaction to the Los Angeles Kings signing Joel Edmundson to a four-year, $15.2 million contract last off-season was shocking. It was by far the most amount of money the blue liner has made on an AAV ($3.8M) and given the type of player he has been throughout his career, it was viewed as a rich contract.</p>
<p>Fortunately for the Kings, it&#8217;s been a solid contract so far through 45 games. His 11 points through 45 games are the most since the 2019-20 season, the same season he set a career-high in points (20). Edmundson has also been playing exclusively with rookie Brandt Clarke, and the two rank 12th in the league with an xGF/60 2.77, with a minimum of 460 minutes played, according to <a href="https://moneypuck.com/lines.htm">Moneypuck.com</a>.</p>
<h2>5. Timothy Liljegren &#8211; San Jose Sharks</h2>
<p><b>January stats: 13 GP &#8211; 1 G &#8211; 1 A &#8211; 2 PTS</b></p>
<p><b>Season stats: 41 GP &#8211; 4 G &#8211; 5 A &#8211; 9 PTS</b></p>
<p>Although a change of scenery was needed for Timothy Liljegren, eventually landing in San Jose with the Sharks due to a trade a couple of months back, his time in California with a new team hasn&#8217;t been looking like a coming-out party that some thought could be the case once he landed with a new team.</p>
<p>Through 40 games this season with the Sharks, Liljegren has just nine points &#8211; four goals and five assists &#8211; with four of those points coming in a four-game stretch in late November. It&#8217;s evident that, from an offensive standpoint, he has struggled with his new team. It also doesn&#8217;t help when the team you play for averages 2.61 goals per game, the second-fewest in the league, tied with the Blackhawks.</p>
<p>The former first-round pick is signed through next season at a cap hit of $3 million and is one of five defenders under contract next season in San Jose. Is it crazy to suggest that a full training camp with the Sharks and maybe a bigger role with added weapons next year can benefit Liljegren? I guess only time will tell.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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Another month has come and gone in the 2024-25 NHL season, which means it is time to check in on five former Maple Leafs to see how January went with their new teams.
<h2>1. Tyler Bertuzzi - Chicago Blackhawks</h2>
<b>Contract: 4-year, $22 million ($5.5M AAV)</b>

<b>January stats: 13 GP - 5 G - 4 A - 9 PTS</b>

<b>Season stats: 51 GP - 17 G - 11 A - 28 PTS</b>

The last 24 games have been good to Tyler Bertuzzi. After a slow start out of the gate, recording just ten points in his first 27 games with his new club - five goals and five assists - he has been scoring at a 41-goal, 62-point pace since December 9th.

Despite the rocky beginning to the campaign, it wouldn't be surprising if he continues the second half of the season on a strong note, similar to last season with the Maple Leafs when he recorded 15 goals and 22 points in his final 29 games before the playoffs.

Another impressive stat for Bertuzzi during this hot stretch: his 12 goals since December 9th have him tied with Seth Jarvis, Jordan Kyrou, Rickard Rakell, Aliaksei Protas, William Nylander and Auston Matthews for the fifth most in the league, prior to Saturday's games.

https://Twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1880815696311205898
<h2>2. Ilya Samsonov - Vegas Golden Knights</h2>
<b>Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million</b>

<b>January stats: 7 GP - 3-3-1 - 2.74 GAA - .880 SV% - 0 SO</b>

<b>Season stats: 20 GP - 12-6-2 - 2.74 GAA - .899 SV% - 1 SO</b>

It's been a fascinating season for Ilya Samsonov and the Golden Knights. From starting the season hot, going 3-0-1 in his first four games while carrying a .932 save percentage to slipping a bit and then picking it back up, winning eight of his next nine starts, the month of January wasn't as kind to the 27-year-old.

Samsonov got into seven starts last month, the most in any month this season, but couldn't find the consistency that he had before January. In those seven starts, Samsonov went 3-3-1 and posted an .880 save percentage, dropping his season number to .899, after owning a .906 save percentage through the end of December.

Despite the rough patch for Samsonov, his team hasn't been meeting expectations either. With a record of 3-4-3 in their last ten games and recording a record of 6-6-2 in January, Vegas struggled to score goals, averaging just 2.93 a game last month.
<h2>3. T.J. Brodie - Chicago Blackhawks</h2>
<b>Contract: 2-year, $7.5 million ($3.75M AAV)</b>

<b>January stats: 11 GP - 0 G - 1 A - 1 PTS</b>

<b>Season stats: 46 GP - 2 G - 7 A - 9 PTS</b>

The Chicago Blackhawks signing veteran defenceman T.J. Brodie to a two-year contract last off-season made some sense. However, looking back at it now, the term wasn't a good idea, and the longer Brodie struggles this season with his new club, the more the signing looks like it could age poorly.

Brodie, 34, started to decline in play toward the end of the 2022-23 season and into the playoffs when Toronto took on Tampa Bay and Florida, continuing into the 2023-24 season and now with Chicago. For a player who hasn't been known as a massive point producer, when their play away from the puck takes a sharp decline, it's hard to be a positive asset on a team, which has been evident this season.

Looking at the counting stats, Brodie has just nine points — two goals and seven assists — in 46 games on a Blackhawks team that has struggled mightily to score goals, ranking 31st in the league (2.61 goals per game) only ahead of the Anaheim Ducks (2.51 goals per game).
<h2>4. Joel Edmundson - Los Angeles Kings</h2>
<b>Contract: 4-year, $15.2 million ($3.8M AAV)</b>

<b>January stats: 11 GP - 0 G - 1 A - 1 PTS</b>

<b>Season stats: 45 GP - 4 G - 7 A - 11 PTS</b>

The initial reaction to the Los Angeles Kings signing Joel Edmundson to a four-year, $15.2 million contract last off-season was shocking. It was by far the most amount of money the blue liner has made on an AAV ($3.8M) and given the type of player he has been throughout his career, it was viewed as a rich contract.

Fortunately for the Kings, it's been a solid contract so far through 45 games. His 11 points through 45 games are the most since the 2019-20 season, the same season he set a career-high in points (20). Edmundson has also been playing exclusively with rookie Brandt Clarke, and the two rank 12th in the league with an xGF/60 2.77, with a minimum of 460 minutes played, according to <a href="https://moneypuck.com/lines.htm">Moneypuck.com</a>.
<h2>5. Timothy Liljegren - San Jose Sharks</h2>
<b>January stats: 13 GP - 1 G - 1 A - 2 PTS</b>

<b>Season stats: 41 GP - 4 G - 5 A - 9 PTS</b>

Although a change of scenery was needed for Timothy Liljegren, eventually landing in San Jose with the Sharks due to a trade a couple of months back, his time in California with a new team hasn't been looking like a coming-out party that some thought could be the case once he landed with a new team.

Through 40 games this season with the Sharks, Liljegren has just nine points - four goals and five assists - with four of those points coming in a four-game stretch in late November. It's evident that, from an offensive standpoint, he has struggled with his new team. It also doesn't help when the team you play for averages 2.61 goals per game, the second-fewest in the league, tied with the Blackhawks.

The former first-round pick is signed through next season at a cap hit of $3 million and is one of five defenders under contract next season in San Jose. Is it crazy to suggest that a full training camp with the Sharks and maybe a bigger role with added weapons next year can benefit Liljegren? I guess only time will tell.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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