‘Meat and potatoes’ on menu with Brodie
When T.J. Brodie signed with the Maple Leafs as a free agent, followed quickly by Stanley Cup champion Zach Bogosian, it seemed GM Kyle Dubas had finally addressed his team’s greatest need: defence. Particularly, defencemen who can play the right side.
But, of course, it seemed that way last year when Dubas acquired Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci in a pair of trades.
Though a left-handed shot, Brodie will suit up on the right side opposite either Morgan Rielly or Jake Muzzin. And those who have watched Brodie’s game closely believe he has what it takes to succeed where others have failed.
“He’s a really good character kid,” says Mike Futa, a longtime executive with the
Los Angeles Kings. “Obviously, the Maple Leafs are going to have a tight dressing room with the guys they brought in (including forwards Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds) and this guy is going to be a big part of that.
“And he plays a warrior-type game. They need that. A little less flash and dash. A little more meat and potatoes.”
Cassie Campbell-Pascall, the former Olympian who is now a Calgary-based analyst on Hockey Night in Canada, says
Brodie brings a lot to the table.
“He can play on any pairing, and can be a leader in that sense, help a young guy in a third pairing, or he can play on the top pairing,” Campbell-Pascal says. “He’s got a sneaky good shot. It’s not overpowering on the power play. When he gets an opportunity, he rarely misses the net. He makes a great first pass. There’s nothing really fancy about him.”
THE NUMBERS
Brodie, a 30-year-old from Chatham, Ont., has played his entire NHL career in Calgary. He was the partner of Flames captain Mark Giordano when the latter won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman in 2018-19.
Brodie seemed to have a down season in 2019-20, with 19 points in 64 games, his lowest total in seven years. His average ice time dwindled to 20:27, his second lowest total since becoming a regular in 2012-13. That included significant drops in power-play and short-handed time. He lost his job alongside Giordano to youngster Rasmus Anderson.
But Brodie’s underlying numbers remained strong, including possession (52.3 per cent in five-on-five situations). He drew more penalties (eight) than any Flames defenceman other than Anderson. He was credited with more take-aways (24) than any Flames defenceman other than Noah Hanifin.
In the continually refining world of hockey analytics, Brodie was, in some ways, Calgary’s best defenceman. His wins above replacement (1.6), goals above replacement (9) and standings points above replacement (3.1) led Flames blueliners, according to EvolvingHockey.com.
That’s why the analytically inclined Leafs were comfortable in giving Brodie a four-year, $20-million (U.S.) deal.
THE SPOTLIGHT
“I love when a guy makes a decision to come where it’s hard to play,” Futa says. “If you’re drafted here, it’s your duty. But when you have a choice to go places, and you choose to come to Toronto, I just love that.”
It’s also where things might get difficult for Brodie. Because while he might be the perfect fit, he is far from the perfect defenceman.
“He’s going to make big mistakes,” Campbell-Pascall says. “He doesn’t make little ones. He makes big ones. He doesn’t do it all the time. Unfortunately, in Toronto, it will get magnified more than it does here in Calgary.”
Leafs fans have seen this before. Many got on Jake Gardiner’s back when his stretch passes were occasionally intercepted. Nikita Zaitsev was essentially run out of town. Going back a generation, Hall of Fame defenceman Larry Murphy was blamed for everything that went wrong in Toronto.
Campbell warns there is another part of Brodie’s makeup some fans — those who prefer fire to ice — might not appreciate.
“There’s one thing that will frustrate Leafs fans, he’s very nonchalant,” Campbell-Pascall says. “It almost sometimes doesn’t look like he has a pulse because he’s so easygoing, so soft-spoken. People will want to light a fire. You won’t ever see emotion from him. He might score the biggest overtime goal and you’ll still get very little emotion. It’s not that he doesn’t care. It’s just that’s his makeup.”
That ultimately could help him in a tough market, not sweating what’s said about him after games where one of those rare mistakes ends up in the Leafs’ net.
THE HANDEDNESS
Futa is more worried about what side Brodie shoots the puck from.
“I’d like it better if he was a right-handed shot,” he says. “I get it, that a lot of guys can play their off side and do it better than others but, in this day and age, with the speed of the game, it’s not ideal.”
Futa says it takes an extra split second to handle a puck coming off the boards, to flip it from backhand to forehand. “That extra time, it’s so critical. Even when you’re playing guys one on one, it’s your natural turn, your natural stick. I just think it’s easier. I don’t think there’s anyone that can tell me they play their off side better.
“There are certain guys that are exceptional at it, but I still think you’re putting somebody in a spot where they’re better playing their natural side.”
THE SELFLESSNESS
Brodie will play either with Rielly or Muzzin when he joins the Leafs. It won’t matter to him.
“He’s a team-first guy, and he’ll play to the strengths of who he’s playing with,” Campbell-Pascal says. “If he’s playing with a younger defenceman, he’ll probably stay at home, be a bit more cautious. If he’s playing with a veteran guy, like Jake Muzzin, then Brodie will probably be the guy who’s going to join the rush. He has this ability to read his partner really well. He’s a real unselfish guy in that sense.
“If it’s Brodie and Rielly, that reminds me of the GiordanoBrodie pairing. Rielly can be stay-at-home or he can go, too. Brodie may bring more offence out of Rielly. I’d be curious, if he plays with Rielly, what becomes of Rielly. Does he start to be more offensive knowing he has that veteran presence who will take care of him?”
Another Leaf who could benefit greatly from Brodie’s arrival is goalie Frederik Andersen. Statistically, the veteran netminder had his worst year in Toronto, with a save percentage (.909) that was well off his career number (.917). The addition of a veteran like Brodie could be “critical,” Futa says.
“Especially on a team that when (they make mistakes), the chances they give up are pretty good ones. You have a guy who understands his job is to stay at home, clear the net out, play with some muck, block some shots.”
THE FAMILY
There is another element behind the scenes that plays an important part. In Brodie’s case, it is his wife, Amber. She was the rock that got him through a tough year that included a fainting episode that led to convulsions on the ice during practice.
“His wife, Amber, is lovely,” Campbell-Pascall says. “A really good family. She along with Sean Monahan’s fiancée were the glue of the (Flames’) wives, the ones that organize a bunch of stuff.
“I think people underestimate that. I think players look into that too, when they get to the point where they think they call their shots, when you have kids. It’s more important than you think.”
“That’s a great point,” Futa says. “Any time you have a guy that has a happy family life, and a wife that completely supports his game and is great with the other wives, that’s awesome. That’s what you want.
“It’s really good if you have that element, someone who can help the girlfriends and wives understand how supportive you have to be and how tough it is for these guys. It’s another dynamic.”
THE FINAL SAY
Both Campbell-Pascall and Futa believe the Leafs are better off with the changes they’ve made.
“There’s nothing big and fancy about (Brodie),” Campbell-Pascall says. “There are no crazy big moments. He kind of does everything solid and then, every once in a while, he’ll just kind of have a gaffe. He’s not going to overpower anyone, he’s not going to lay a guy out. He’ll more angle guys off. He’s a really good skater, and that gets him out of trouble.”
Says Futa: “I like some of the stuff on the back end. I like Zach Bogosian. There’s more balance. (The Leafs) should be a harder team to play against. If Brodie stays healthy, that’s critical for them. He knows the Canadian market and the pressures of playing in a Canadian market. He’s a Chatham kid. That helps.”