Blackhawks Place TJ Brodie on Waivers for Purpose of Buyout

After his buyout, the Hawks will incur a cap hit of $3.233 million in 2025-26 and $258,333 in 2026-27. The 34-year-old had one year remaining on the two-year contract with a $3.75 million cap hit that he signed last summer.

The former Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs standout had only ten points in 54 games for the Hawks while struggling mightily in the defensive zone. The Hawks were outscored 42-23 during Brodie’s 5-on-5 ice time (the third-worst goals ratio out of 214 defensemen across the NHL) and also generated a 45.2% scoring-chance ratio.

Brodie signed a two-year deal last summer, intending to provide veteran depth for a young Hawks squad. However, his play declined over the course of the season, and he became a regular healthy scratch, missing the final 22 games.

Born in Chatham, Ontario, Brodie was selected by the Flames in the fourth round (No. 114) of the 2008 NHL Draft. During Brodie’s first training camp, then-Calgary head coach Brent Sutter proclaimed the 6-foot-1, 182-pound speedster to be unlike anyone else in the Flames organization.

With Alex Vlasic having emerged as a top-four defenseman and both Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel likely to be full-time players next season, the Blackhawks are looking to open up a roster spot for their younger players, leading Brodie to look for a new NHL team for the 2025-26 season.

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