Confirmed with Link: TJ Brodie to TOR | 4 years 5M per

[Wafflewhipper]

I think leafs fans will be very happy with this signing as he settles in. All flames fans would have easily taken him back at this price. The contract isn’t a steal, but it is very fair. I assume he chose Toronto because of his wife’s condition, or the flames thought it was time to part ways.

Brodie is a very interesting case. His skillset in a vacuum is probably that of a high-end second pairing defenceman, but when he is paired with a great first pairing partner, Brodie turns into a first pairing calibre defenseman himself. Some flames fans think Giordano carried Brodie to looking great in Calgary, but in reality I think Brodie helped Giordano just as much as Gio helped him. The Bro-Dano pairing at their peak was thrown in discussions to be able to rival the Weber-Suter pairing in Nashville here on hfboards a couple years ago. That doesn’t happen when one partner gets carried; they both allowed each other to play to their strengths greatly. When Giordano was injured in the 14-15 season, Brodie had to carry our pathetic defense whose next best defensemen were Kris Russel and Dennis Wideman to the playoffs. I don’t think we win our series against the canucks that year if it weren’t for him. He may not be what you think of when people say elite first pairing Dman, but he easily has all the tools and skills to fill that role. His success will depend on how he gels with Rielly, but I personally think it will turn out really well and that the pairing will play to their strengths greatly.

Other notes: he is amazing at 3 on 3 OT. Find highlights of flames OT wins and I guarantee Brodie is involved in some kind of way, either by a tremendous outlet pass, assist, or scoring the goal itself. He also plays pretty well against Boston. There was a game where flames got destroyed 9-0 against the bruins, and Brodie managed to finish with an even +\-. There’s two instances where he scored a late OT goal against the bruins in order to steal a win. The only negative think I can say about him is that he rarely makes mistakes, but when he does, they’re pretty big, and usually end up at the back of your net. You will be frustrated at him cause you know he’s better than that. His defense gaffs are pretty rare, but devastating when they do happen.

Some people may be disappointed because they wanted Pietro, but I am confident leafs fans will be very, very happy with Brodie.

I think Brodie works his sack off. I watched him play lots and he is pretty much mistake free and when he does he fights back.

 

[ANDI P IS CUTE]

Easily better then our current D

Rielly = McCabe
Brodie = Kaberle
Muzzin = Colaiacovo
White = Holl
Finger = Sandin/Liljegren
Kubina = Lehtonen

You could argue McCabe is qual or better then Rielly all around.
Kaberle again I would take over Brodie any day of the week, guy was one of the best passing defenders in the league with solid defense.
Muzzin and Colaiacovo are both pretty close in value and what they offer.
White and Holl same situation, that leaves us Finger & Kubina two solid players at the time over Sandin & Lehtonen....two guys that have no experience playing in the NHL.

lol

 

[Guy Boucher]

Brodie's Strengths:

- Excellent in transition; he has an excellent first pass. If his team is breaking out, he makes himself an option to spread out the opposition.
- Smart at pinching in the OZ; he's aggressive and times his pinches really well. Does it multiple times each game to keep the puck in the OZ
- Defends the blue line; aggressive with his stick at the line to create turnovers and offsides
- Blocks shots from the high slot

Brodie's Weaknesses:

- Weak in puck battles
- Not great at clearing the crease/boxing out

Overall - really good, smart D-man who will make the team better and will keep the puck moving in the right direction but is also weak in some areas the Leafs need to be better in.

 

[Banner]

I think Brodie works his sack off. I watched him play lots and he is pretty much mistake free and when he does he fights back.

For sure Brodie works his tail off. Especially in 14-15 after Gio got injured, he regularly played over 30 minutes a night, and his play didn't suffer from those long minutes. I wouldn't say he's mistake free, as I've watched him his whole career in Calgary.. 99/100 times he'll make the correct play, but that rare 1/100 instance will result in a goal against or have you yelling at your TV every single time.

What I forgot to mention is that he's exceptional on the transition. He goes from defense to offense so well, which is why he racks so many assists despite being more of a defensive defenseman. People mistake him for being an offenseiveDman but no.. He's an exceptional passer and can score when the D is activated, all while being defensively sound. The only thing that Brodie lacks is that he's not a bruiser and doesn't impress you with overly physical plays, but he still gets in the difficult areas and makes life hard for the other team's superstars.

 

[Zybalto]

Nice post. Btw what site do you use for analytics?

Thats from natural stat trick. i miss corsica though.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

For sure Brodie works his tail off. Especially in 14-15 after Gio got injured, he regularly played over 30 minutes a night, and his play didn't suffer from those long minutes. I wouldn't say he's mistake free, as I've watched him his whole career in Calgary.. 99/100 times he'll make the correct play, but that rare 1/100 instance will result in a goal against or have you yelling at your TV every single time.

What I forgot to mention is that he's exceptional on the transition. He goes from defense to offense so well, which is why he racks so many assists despite being more of a defensive defenseman. People mistake him for being an offenseiveDman but no.. He's an exceptional passer and can score when the D is activated, all while being defensively sound. The only thing that Brodie lacks is that he's not a bruiser and doesn't impress you with overly physical plays, but he still gets in the difficult areas and makes life hard for the other team's superstars.

I’m glad you are giving a breakdown here on him. I don’t think most here know how dependable and hard working he is. He is good on transition too you are right. He doesn’t rattle much and has really quick feet and closes gaps and takes your ice away as a shooter. He’s not a passive player in any way but smart in doing that. I really like the signing. I don’t mind the money either. Happy to have him

 

[Calgarybrutalist]

I’m glad you are giving a breakdown here on him. I don’t think most here know how dependable and hard working he is. He is good on transition too you are right. He doesn’t rattle much and has really quick feet and closes gaps and takes your ice away as a shooter. He’s not a passive player in any way but smart in doing that. I really like the signing. I don’t mind the money either. Happy to have him

He's doesn't really have quick feet, he's kind of slow actually. He is really good on his edges, that's his strength, especially when it comes to eluding forecheckers.

 

[Warden of the North]

What is the advantage of backloading the contract

Nothing really other then the Leafs aren't making nearly as much money this season and maybe longer depending on COVID. They've forked out a gazillion dollars already this year in signing bonuses. Dubas said himself their pile of money does have a bottom.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

He's doesn't really have quick feet, he's kind of slow actually. He is really good on his edges, that's his strength, especially when it comes to eluding forecheckers.

https://thehockeywriters.com/calgary-flames-5-best-defensemen/
He had a nice career there

 

[Guy Boucher]

He's doesn't really have quick feet, he's kind of slow actually. He is really good on his edges, that's his strength, especially when it comes to eluding forecheckers.

It's true but I notice that he usually takes the best route to the puck, very similarly to Muzzin, which allows him to offset his lack of speed.

 

[saltming]

All I care about, our D looks better now than last year. Just win.

[IMG=] https://media1.tenor.com/images/1d997492ed12b1acbd4c7b6f9acc5eb7/tenor.gif?itemid=8866665[IMG/][/IMG]

 

[supermann_98]

What is the advantage of backloading the contract

Less escrow payments during the pandemic

 

[supermann_98]

Easily better then our current D

Rielly = McCabe
Brodie = Kaberle
Muzzin = Colaiacovo
White = Holl
Finger = Sandin/Liljegren
Kubina = Lehtonen

You could argue McCabe is qual or better then Rielly all around.
Kaberle again I would take over Brodie any day of the week, guy was one of the best passing defenders in the league with solid defense.
Muzzin and Colaiacovo are both pretty close in value and what they offer.
White and Holl same situation, that leaves us Finger & Kubina two solid players at the time over Sandin & Lehtonen....two guys that have no experience playing in the NHL.

I'll give you McCabe/Kaberle being equal to or better than Reilly/Brodie but Coliacovo = Muzzin? LMAO ... wow, just wow. White and Finger were #7 defenseman who could barely break into the top 6 unless there was an injury, don't put a 19 and 20 year old in the same category as that crap. Kubina was pretty good, I'd take him on this team, but without having seen Lehtonen play in one NHL game yet the jury is still out

 

[Mr Knies Guy]

I think Brodie works his sack off. I watched him play lots and he is pretty much mistake free and when he does he fights back.

Hope so man I keep hearing comps to Gardiner due to smooth skating, patience but bad, boneheaded plays and giveaways, so I’m terrified

I’m reserving judgment because I admit I haven’t seen or noticed him a ton. I hope it works out but can’t lie, I’m gutted to have had an (unrealistic Due to $) shot at Piet but miss out, so I’m trying not to bias against TJ

 

[hockeywiz542]

T.J. Brodie joins Tim and Sid and talks about signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, what he brings to the team and much more.

 

[phillipmike]

Although it was a short period of time Leetch, Kaberle and McCabe was fantastic. Klee wasn’t a bad player to finish out the top 4. Leetch was playing close to 27 minutes a night for us putting up a point a game pace. A true number 1.

Phaneuf, Kaberle, Schenn, Beauchemin, Komisarek and Gunnarson was great on paper not so much on the ice. Same goes for McCabe, Kaberle, Kubina, Gill, Colaiacovo and White also good on paper.

Svehla, Kaberle, McCabe and Lumme was good too. Many didn’t like Lumme but he gave you 20 minutes a night and solid D. The seasons before we had Yushkevich (one of my all time favourites) before we moved him for Svehla. Svehla was a stud too, had career year for us and left.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Unless Brodie took a discount to play at home, I’m quite surprised that the Calgary Flames didn’t match this offer, as they turned around and gave a 4 x $4.5 million deal to Tanev. I’m also surprised that Krug got three extra years, and $1.5 million more per season, given that he’s never played on a shutdown pairing (though I did expect him to get a bigger deal). I doubt the Leafs were eager to give Brodie a fifth year, and I think they were ready to make a move via trade if he priced himself out of their range.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2020...rnton-tj-brodie-joey-anderson-wayne-simmonds/

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Although it was a short period of time Leetch, Kaberle and McCabe was fantastic. Klee wasn’t a bad player to finish out the top 4. Leetch was playing close to 27 minutes a night for us putting up a point a game pace. A true number 1.

Phaneuf, Kaberle, Schenn, Beauchemin, Komisarek and Gunnarson was great on paper not so much on the ice. Same goes for McCabe, Kaberle, Kubina, Gill, Colaiacovo and White also good on paper.

Svehla, Kaberle, McCabe and Lumme was good too. Many didn’t like Lumme but he gave you 20 minutes a night and solid D. The seasons before we had Yushkevich (one of my all time favourites) before we moved him for Svehla. Svehla was a stud too, had career year for us and left.

Oof.....still stings we lost a season of Leetch.

Kind of my biggest disappointment with COVID as well, we are losing time off our contracts. We have several players who - if here long enough - will undoubtedly set all time Leaf records. Cup is the goal but I also like the notion of watching that.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Q&A: Brian Burke on Maple Leafs shakeup, Oilers goalies, Hall's big deal - Sportsnet.ca

What’s your best T.J. Brodie story? Toronto fans will want to know more about this guy. You worked with him. What’s he like?

Very quiet. I was close with all of my players in Calgary, but T.J. was never comfortable sitting and talking to management. So, I go down (to the dressing room area) and have a coffee, he was always pleasant. Great guy. His wife’s lovely, too. He was always, “Hey, Burkie, how’s it going? How are the kids?” and then move on, right? Whereas other guys, like Gio (Mark Giordano), would sit down and have breakfast with me. Matthew Tkachuk would sit down. T.J. was always a little bit aloof.

My last year, there was a Christmas party or year-end party. He and his wife, Amber, got seated next to me. And I said, “Now you have to talk to me, T.J.” We had a really good talk. He’s a good kid. He’s a left shot, prefers the right side. He’ll be a good partner for Morgan Rielly. Really excellent skater. Elite skater. I think the change of scenery is gonna do him good.

 

[KLM-Line]

Sounds like he is the ideal partner for Muzzin. Too bad we still fail to serve Reilly a competent partner on the 1st pairing. Guess when Reilly gets injured Marner or Nylander will fill in, right? Right?!

Well that's were our money is allocated to improve the necessary defensive upgrades.

I like Bogosian but he won't be able to play more than 2/3 of a season.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

moved to: News Article: - Sportsnet: Analyzing the defending style of Maple Leafs' TJ Brodie

 

[IPS]

Analyzing the defending style of Maple Leafs' TJ Brodie


Good read on a very good Dman, the only one I wanted the Wings to sign in UFA. Congrats.

Not gonna lie he sounds like the picture perfect epitome of a Mike Babcock type defensemen haha

 

[Golden_Jet]

Not gonna lie he sounds like the picture perfect epitome of a Mike Babcock type defensemen haha

Not sure I agree, article, says he’s not physical or not a shot blocker, but good with his stick. That’s Babcock like?, unless sarcasm.

 

[stickty111]

Not sure I agree, article, says he’s not physical or not a shot blocker, but good with his stick. That’s Babcock like?, unless sarcasm.

Brodie is the opposite what Babcock likes.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Brodie is the opposite what Babcock likes.

Agreed not sure what IPS means.