VANCOUVER — The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had possession of the puck as much as they have had it in previous years. And in many ways, TJ Brodie's inconsistent play has been a reflection of that.
The 33-year-old defenseman has admitted his play hasn't been as sharp at various points this season.
"Sometimes you go through those phases, maybe lack of confidence, you’re not getting the bounces and you grip the stick a little tight," he said earlier this week. Sometimes it’s just taking a breath and things are ok and getting back on track."
Brodie has been heavily relied upon in the past for tough assignments and this season is no different as he remains attached to Morgan Rielly on the team's top defensive unit. There was a two-game stretch last month when they moved him down to skate with Jake McCabe, but it disrupted the flow of a top pair when Timothy Liljegren among others were tried with Rielly.
Brodie is averaging 21:48 of ice time, the most he's had in his four-year tenure in Toronto. His possession numbers show a significant drop. At 5-on-5, Brodie's expected-goals rate averaged 54 percent per NaturalStatTrick.com.
It's down to 49 percent this season.
Through the struggles, Brodie is just trying to keep it in perspective.
"You just mentally think about there’s more to life than just hockey and it’s not the end of the world if you make a mistake, it feels like it at the time," Brodie said. You move on and try to learn from it and forget about it."
Brodie missed the beginning portion of training camp this season as his family grieved the loss of his father, Jay, after a battle with cancer. It explains the defenseman's view on life
In 2015, his wife, Amber, was diagnosed with chronic autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis and the couple spent this summer teaming up with A&W to open up about that journey.
The Leafs are confident Brodie can push through any on-ice struggles. And in many ways, they need him to.
With a 22-13-8 record, the Leafs are in a dogfight to earn a playoff spot this season, unlike the last few seasons where the playoffs seems all but a formality.
"You push through you go through times where you’re mentally in a battle. You try to push through and you want your teammates to be there for you," Rielly said of Brodie. "Hopefully he feels that and as is partner I want to be there for him. We talk all the time. It’s nice to lean on one another off the ice as well."
Brodie has 10 assists in 42 games with the Maple Leafs this season.
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