Veteran was second on Toronto in minutes played in 2023-24 and a plus-17, but slipped and was a healthy scratch late in the season and playoffs.
The Chicago Blackhawks kept signing free agents on Monday, agreeing with 34-year-old minutes-eating defenseman T.J. Brodie on a two-year contract that pays $3,750,000 per season.
Defenseman T.J. Brodie bumps Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off the puck last season.
USA Today Network
Brodie is the eighth UFA locked up by Chicago in a flurry that will improve and reshape the team around Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard for the 2024-25 season. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Brodie was the second player signed by the Blackhawks from the Toronto Maple Leafs, following rugged forward Tyler Bertuzzi earlier in the day.
“T.J. is a strong, two-way defenseman that can play valuable minutes in any situation,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a news release. “He adds a wealth of experience to our room and we’re excited about the impact he’ll have on our team.”
Brodie ranked second on Toronto with an average ice time of 21:43 through 78 games, trailing only fellow defenseman Morgan Rielly at 23:44. He posted one goal and 25 assists and was a plus-17.
Additionally, Brodie ranked first on Toronto with 159 blocked shots last season, the second-most he’s stopped in his 14-year career.
Defenseman T.J. Brodie
USA Today Network
But Brodie appeared to be slipping late last season. He was a healthy scratch for the first time as a Maple Leaf in March, then appeared in just one of seven playoff games in Toronto's opening round loss to Boston.
“You look at a couple things,” fired Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said during the series. “You look at how the season’s gone, you look at how the group has come together, you look at how the pairs fit and then you look at the opponent and the type of matchups and the intensity that you expect early on in the series. Those are the guys that we go with.”
Brodie just completed a four-year contract with a $5 million AAV on Toronto. He played the first 10 years of his career with the Calgary Flames, who selected the native of Chatham, Ontario in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft.
Brodie has skated in 908 career regular-season games with Calgary and Toronto. He has 56 goals and 292 assists in his career and topped out with 45 points in a season with the Flames in 2015-16
