The Toronto Maple Leafs’ defense is obviously their weakest area this season. That’s not news. However, there’s a particular member of the Leafs’ defense corps who doesn’t get a lot of focus – and that’s veteran T.J. Brodie. At age 33, Brodie is the third-oldest Leaf – only 40-year-old D-man Mark Giordano and 36-year-old enforcer Ryan Reaves are older – and many observers believe Brodie’s overall game has begun to crumble notably this year. And with Buds GM Brad Treliving on the hunt for blueliners on the trade market, Brodie could find himself on another team.
Part of that is because Brodie is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. It hasn’t been discussed all that much, because Toronto has more prominent UFAs to deal with. But with a major raise in line for star winger William Nylander due next season, the Leafs are going to be cutting corners wherever possible, and Brodie’s $5-million salary cap hit could go to a newcomer – say, current Calgary defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and/or Flames D-man Chris Tanev rather than paying Brodie to return.
Despite playing on the Leafs’ top defense pairing with Morgan Rielly, Brodie has become a virtual non-factor on offense – he’s currently got only two assists in 14 games and last season, he had just 12 assists and 14 points in 58 games – and all of that would be acceptable if he was an elite force on defense. That simply hasn’t been the case, and at this stage of his career, Brodie will be a rapidly eroding positive factor in his own zone.
As per Cap Friendly, Brodie has a modified no-trade clause, in which he can list 10 teams he refuses to be dealt to. One of those teams may well be the Flames – understandable since he left there of his own accord to sign with Toronto in 2029 – but that leaves 21 teams he can be moved to without his permission. That may mean Treliving has to deal Brodie first, before taking on Zadorov or Tanev in a separate deal. But clearly, Brodie is not going to be back with the Leafs next season unless he takes a significant salary cut.
The Leafs likely will be looking to bring along young defensemen Mikko Kokkonen and Topi Niemela in the near future, but both youngsters will need time to adjust. That’s where experienced hands such as Tanev and Zadorov come in. They could play in Toronto’s top-two defense pairings and allow Kokkonen and Niemela to start on the third defense pairing and work their way up from there. The one thing they can’t do is continue to stand by and permit Brodie to continue struggling as his career nears a close. And if they aren’t going to be doing that, there’s no good argument for bringing Brodie back, unless he takes a contract similar to Giordano’s current $800,000 salary.
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There was a time when Brodie was a solid stay-at-home D-man in hockey’s top league, but that time has passed. On a team with an elite defense corps – the Carolina Hurricanes, for instance – Brodie would be on the third pairing, or in a stretch, on the second pairing. But on the top pairing of the Leafs’ defense corps, he is a liability now, and it’s not likely he’ll discover the fountain of youth and somehow rejuvenate his game. He’s a quite, no-fuss, no-muss player who has given his all to Toronto, but Treliving has to make some cold-blooded decisions about the defense, and one of those decisions is the (right) decision to cut ties with Brodie.
Indeed, if there’s no way the Leafs re-sign Brodie to an extension, he needs to be dealt, sooner than later. Treliving has to find him a new home, so that his salary can be spent on a more dependable long-term competitor than Brodie is at this stage. It’s a tough business, but Brodie would understand if the Leafs move on from him. He’s not the same player he was even three years ago, and if Toronto is going to acquire a better blueliner, they almost assuredly need to go in a different direction than the one Brodie is in.
He’s only going to hurt the Buds if they continue playing him on their top pair, and the Leafs are at a distinct crossroads with him. It makes the most sense for Toronto to move on with someone new, and that may be painful for Brodie’s fans to hear, but it’s the truth.
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