As the Leafs look to hire a new head coach after letting Sheldon Keefe go, there are plenty of other discussions taking place about the roster and who stays and who goes. Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi are two players that many want to see return, while the opposite can be said for Mitch Marner.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, one player that won't be back is defenseman T.J. Brodie. The writing has been on the wall for Brodie's tenure in Toronto coming to an end since the playoffs began as he only skated in one of the seven playoff games against the Boston Bruins.
The 33-year-old signed a 4-year deal in the summer of 2020 with the Leafs and was a very good defenseman the first two years of that deal. Unfortunately, Brodie has struggled the past two seasons, particularly this season.
Granted, life is more than just hockey and Brodie has dealt with a number of family things the past couple of seasons, but they certainly had an affect on his play.
The first two seasons of his deal, he was a staple next to Morgan Rielly on the top pairing, but these last two seasons he has been shuffled about the lineup eventually finding himself as the seventh defenseman for the playoffs this season. As Treliving attempts to re-vamp the blueline, it would appear as though Brodie is not a part of that plan.
POLL | ||
16 MAI | 619 ANSWERS Maple Leafs make important decision on T.J. Brodie's future in Toronto Would you re-sign Brodie to a league minimum-ish deal to be a bottom-pairing defenseman? | ||
Yes | 213 | 34.4 % |
No | 406 | 65.6 % |
List of polls |