Who Is A Good Trade Fit For TJ Brodie?
With the NHL draft set for this weekend, many in the hockey world are anticipating that this may be TJ Brodie‘s final hours as a member of the Calgary Flames.
The market has already shown a propensity for defenseman in recent days, including the trades of Jacob Trouba, Justin Braun, Olli Maatta, and the signing of Erik Karlsson.
Making $4.65 million per season, with one year left on his deal, and only 29-years-old, Brodie, a top-pairing smooth skating defender is a discount, for this year. In fact, he’s a steal.
The Calgary Flames are rumoured to be looking for top 6 scoring help…so, where is TJ Brodie a good fit, and who would have pieces to send back to Calgary in return? Let’s run down a few possible destinations.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Let the insanity begin. The Leafs are enveloped in trade talk, and this actually makes sense. They need defensive help. Brodie can play a puck moving, fast game to keep up with Toronto’s top guys, and he’s an upgrade over Jake Gardiner, who will demand more on the open market this year than Brodie’s cap hit. He’s a great fit, at a bargain price (for now). The Leafs of course have several offensive pieces available, including Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, and Nazem Kadri. The problem would remain, could the Leafs make a realistic bid to sign Brodie following this season. And would they care if they couldn’t?
New York Rangers
The Rangers are in full rebuild mode, but will jumpstart that this weekend with the likely selection of Kaapo Kakko. They also already acquired Jacob Trouba, and earlier this offseason prospect defender Adam Fox, who they quickly signed. Does that mean they’re done on the blueline? No. They have the offensive players available for trade including Chris Kreider, Jimmy Vesey, and Vladislav Namestnikov. Plus, with $19-million left in cap space, they could definitely re-sign Brodie.
New Jersey Devils
In the market for a defender, and ready to draft Jack Hughes first overall, with an excess of forwards, New Jersey would be wise to make a pitch for Brodie, and Brodie would thrive with the offensive opportunities he’d have on this roster, which is close to be very, very good. They also have more than $30-million in cap space. With multiple first overall picks on their roster, New Jersey could be poised for a playoff return sooner than later with the acquisition of a player like Brodie.
Montreal Canadiens
The Habs would also be a good fit, as Marc Bergevin loves to make a trade splash, and Montreal still need to add to find their way into contention. Shea Weber is good, but I don’t think anyone would wish away PK Subban again. Brodie would look good on the Habs blueline, but finding an adequate return might be the question mark. Montreal has pieces up front they could part with, but this deal would almost certainly involve a pick and/or prospect.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Expect a small stir instead of a shake up with Tampa Bay after their early playoff exit. Adding a defender of Brodie’s calibre would make them even more offensively potent heading into next season, and they have enough forward depth they could part with a roster piece for Brodie.
Other Options?
Of course it’s easier making trades outside your conference/division. That is said because both Vancouver and Edmonton are in the market for blueline help. Some might say Brodie would prefer to come close to home and Detroit could be an option, seeing as they also need blueline help, but Yzerman and the Red Wings might be too early in the rebuild process for this to be viable. Outside their division, but still in the West, the Chicago Blackhawks could still be in the market for a defender, but their recent move to acquire Maatta makes that less likely.
And as with all things, Brodie could end up anywhere this weekend, this offseason, or into next year, or believe it or not, Brodie could remain a Flame. In the salary cap era, anything is possible.