Despite some chatter from earlier this season, there is one player the Leafs need to hold onto at all costs
The Leafs have rebounded nicely after a very slow start this season, currently sitting in a 3-way tie for 2nd in the overall league standings with 66 points with a 29-11-8 record through their first 48 games. While there's still a long way to go if the Leafs want to have any hope of catching Boston, who hold a 14-point lead with 80 points on the year, but with so many of the team's issues having been seemingly ironed out, the Leafs are still in a pretty good spot ahead of the trade deadline.
One player that the Leafs have missed for a good chunk of the season is defenseman T.J. Brodie. There was a point as well, when the Leafs were winning while he was sidelined, where a good chunk of Leafs Nation were tossing around the idea of moving on from Brodie and freeing up an additional $5M in cap space this summer. Well, if that were to happen, it would be a big, big mistake.
Brodie may have missed 20 games this season for the Buds, but his impact on the the team has been undeniable when he has been healthy enough to play. Just how good has he been? Well, for starters, Brodie leads all NHL defensemen who play 20 or more minutes per game in even strength defense wins above replacement (WAR).
Brodie, 32, is not exactly a spring chicken anymore. He's got more of his career behind him than ahead of him, but we're seeing it right now with Mark Giordano, who, at 39, is still playing at a very high level for the Leafs. With the way Brodie plays the game, there's no reason to believe that he wouldn't be able to continue to play at a high level late into his 30's.
Granted, Brodie's durability has been a bit of a concern so far this season, but if he can work his way back to full health, which he appears well on his way to doing, and if he can play well enough in the playoffs to give his team the same chances he's given them this season, nobody will be worried about the 20-some games he's missed this year.
The Chatham, ON native has never been one to light it up on the score sheet, but he has been a defensive stalwart for the Leafs for the last 3 seasons and has shown a high-level of defensive IQ when facing odd-man rushes with his incredible shot-blocking. He's a guy that the Leafs would miss dearly. For that reason, I don't think there's any question that the Buds should be looking to hang onto him and potentially even re-signing him once his current deal is up. He's well worth his $5M cap hit, in my humble opinion.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 25 | 168 ANSWERS Despite some chatter from earlier this season, there is one player the Leafs need to hold onto at all costs Should the Leafs explore trading Brodie this summer to save $5M as some have suggested this year? | ||
| Yes | 89 | 53 % |
| No | 79 | 47 % |
| List of polls | ||
