Veteran defenceman, T. J. Brodie has a new contract. He signs with the Chicago Blackhawks. This was Brodie’s second experience in free agency and his new home is Chicago. The details of this deal consist of a two year term and $3.75 million per season.
Brodie Signs Contract with Blackhawks
T. J. Brodie is coming off his fourth season as a Toronto Maple Leaf. This past season he played 78 games and scored 26 points, one of those was a goal. The four missing games to complete the full 82-game season were from healthy scratches. Former head coach of the Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe said it was an effort to give him a rest at the time. However, when the playoffs arrived, Brodie only played one game. He only featured in Game 4 in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. Ultimately, Toronto lost to Boston in seven games.
This past season was a bit of a weird one for the 34-year-old. He put up a career-high 40 penalty minutes, which is very unlike him. Brodie averaged around 20 penalty minutes before the 2023-24 season, meaning he doubled his average. Other than that, in terms of statistics, it was a pretty straightforward season for Brodie.
Chicago Lands Responsible D-man
The Brodie contract is a good deal and for a good reason. Brodie is known for his defensive responsibility as well as his veteran presence and experience. He is less than 100 games away from reaching the 1,000-game mark and he averages 22:14 minutes of ice time throughout his NHL career. Brodie will be a great addition on the back-end for the [team nickname] and he will provide a real sense of calmness for them.
He doesn’t put up crazy offensive numbers or show some flashy skill, but he gets the job done for the most part. He is very talented when it comes to using his stick defensively. He’s always disrupting passes or getting his stick in the lanes. He lead the Maple Leafs in blocked shots with a total of 159, that’s slightly over two blocks per game. On top of that, he ranked fourth in plus-minus among the Leafs roster this season.
A lot of Brodie’s excellence doesn’t show on the stat sheet, but he’s the type of player that any team could use.
Main Photo: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
