Blackhawks to Buy Out Veteran Defenseman

Brodie, 35, signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract ($3.75 million average annual value) with the Blackhawks last offseason. As part of the buyout, the Blackhawks will take on a dead cap hit of roughly $3.23 million in 2025-26 and $258,333 in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia. That's of course assuming that another team doesn't claim him off waivers, in which case the Blackhawks would be off the hook for any additional cap hits.

Sadly, Brodie's lone season with the Blackhawks was one to forget. The Chatham, Ontario, native scored two goals and a career-low 10 points (not counting when he played just three games as a rookie in 2010-11) in 54 games while averaging 15:38 of ice time, also a career-low. He also posted a minus-18 rating, and his underlying numbers were poor and a clear indication of him declining with age.

Chicago eventually took Brodie out of the lineup completely starting in March. He last played in a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on March 1, and that was after the Blackhawks traded Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers, the eventual Stanley Cup champions. Considering that, it's easy to see why they're now buying him out.

Brodie spent the past 14 seasons split between the Calgary Flames (2011-20) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2020-24). He has 58 goals and 358 points in 962 NHL games.

Whether Brodie continues playing after a disastrous season in Chicago remains to be seen.