T.J. Brodie

Brodie is a reliable stabilizer on the back end, but he doesn't bring much fantasy value. His best attribute is his ability to quietly clear guys away and get the puck out, while allowing his partner to shine. Brodie and Morgan Rielly have made a formidable pair, but he could skate with the defensively queasy, John Klingberg this season. Someone needs to help keep pucks away from the Leafs net. Brodie's one fantasy contribution comes in the form of blocks -- he may lead the Leafs in that category this year after stepping in front of 111 shots last season, his sixth season of 100-plus blocks.

The days of Brodie posting 40-plus points have come and gone, but he was again a solid depth option for Toronto a season ago, playing in all 82 of the club's regular-season games while managing 28 points and a plus-20 rating. Brodie was a big power-play producer early in his career with Calgary, but he's managed just four points with the man advantage over the past two seasons combined, effectively eliminating whatever minor fantasy value Brodie may have still had in extremely deep formats.

Brodie posted 30-plus points in six straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2018-19, but his offensive production has fallen off a cliff over the past two years. During that time frame, Brodie has notched just five goals and 33 points through 120 games. He was used in a different role in his first year in Toronto in 2020-21 than what we became accustomed to during his time in Calgary, as he averaged just 42 seconds of power-play ice time per contest. With Morgan Rielly set to return as the quarterback of the Maple Leafs' top power-play unit, Brodie will once again settle into a complementary role, limiting his fantasy value.

Brodie failed to crack the 30-point mark for the first time in six seasons last year, notching just four goals and 15 assists while firing 65 shots on net in 64 games during his final campaign with Calgary. The 30-year-old blueliner signed a four-year, $20-million deal with the Maple Leafs in October, and he's expected to skate with Morgan Rielly on Toronto's top pairing in 2020-21. That's an attractive even-strength assignment, but Brodie isn't expected to see much time with the man advantage this season, which will put a hard cap on his offensive upside. A 30-point pace will likely represent Brodie's ceiling this year, so he won't be anything more than a late-round depth option in fantasy drafts.

Brodie notched nine goals and 34 points in 79 games in 2018-19, helping to halt his three-year decline on offense. Ironically, that boost in offensive production was accompanied by a 2:13 decrease in ice time per game -- he only averaged 21:28 after averaging 23:41 during the previous season. Brodie still logged the majority of his minutes alongside Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano, but rookie Rasmus Andersson eventually challenged him for that deployment. Now 29, Brodie may see a role reduction that could limit his ability to stay above the 30-point threshold in 2019-20. That said, owners can still expect the Canadian defenseman to pot five goals while contributing 20-to-25 assists this year, but it's also likely that his plus-29 rating will decline, even if he remains partnered with Giordano.

Brodie has been a vital member of Calgary's blue line. Last year, he accounted for four goals to go along with 32 points -- his fifth straight season of 30 or more points. Still, it's discouraging to see the 28-year-old's offensive numbers declining. Since 2014-15, Brodie's annual point totals have been 41, 45, 36 and 32, respectively and he's curiously dropped from 25 to 23 minutes per game since his banner year. The fleet-footed skater remains a worthy contributor on the man advantage, having produced double-digit power-play points the last two seasons. Despite missing the final nine games in March with concussion and neck issues, there's been nothing to suggest that Brodie won't be ready for training camp in preparation for his eight year of NHL service time. When it comes to No. 7, fantasy owners simply need to take the good with the bad.

Brodie remained one of the most important pieces of the Calgary blue line last season from a real-world perspective, but he certainly took a step back in terms of fantasy production. Despite playing in 12 more games than he did one season prior, the Ontario native managed the same number of goals (six) and nine fewer assists en route to a disappointing 36 points. Even worse, his defensive metrics took a downturn too, as his minus-16 rating was the lowest of his career. Most troublingly, Brodie managed just 78 shots on goal -- less than one per game. The 27-year-old's importance to the Calgary defensive corps and role on the power play ensure that he'll see plenty of ice time, but he's certainly not an elite offensive talent, so even if he rebounds (which he very well may), don’t expect more than 40-odd points

Brodie isn’t one of the league’s flashier players offensively, but he’s become an indispensable asset on the Calgary blue line because of his skating, vision and defensive responsibility. Indeed, the 26-year-old has led the Flames in average ice time two years running, and he enters this season expected to continue anchoring their back end once again. After missing the first nine games last season to a broken hand, Brodie returned in full force – he put up the on-pace numbers to clear 50 points for the first time, had 82 games been a possibility. With the Flames having upgraded last year’s league-worst goaltending crew significantly by adding Brian Elliott, Brodie should see his rating (down from plus-15 to plus-4 last year) rebound; however, he’ll need to put more shots on net if he wants to crack double-digit goals again. After taking 133 shots two years ago, Brodie sent just 79 pucks at goalies over 70 games; that’s an awfully low rate for a guy who spends that much time on the ice.

Brodie is Robin to Mark Giordano’s Batman. He had 35 points in 61 games when Gio skated beside him, but when his partner went down, Brodie stepped on his own cape (six points in 20 games), while Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell both took big steps forward. Giordano is now healthy and ready to resume his quest for a Norris Trophy, and Brodie’s value -- both on the ice and in fantasy -- will hinge on him getting another opportunity to ride shotgun with the big man. The offseason addition of Dougie Hamilton and the emergence of Russell make the waters murky for Brodie. The decision on pairings will be a tough one, and coach Bob Hartley could anchor the back end with Giordano and Hamilton in the top two. Watch training camp carefully and be ready to let someone else bear the risk if Robin loses his Batman.

Brodie had a breakout season in 2013-14, tallying a career-high 31 points in 81 games. The 24-year-old defenseman is a star in the making, especially while playing alongside the tough, but offensive-minded Mark Giordano. Brodie and Giordano form one of the better-scoring No. 1 defensive pairings in the NHL, and it’s certainly within Brodie’s capacity to top 40 points this season. That makes him a must-draft in standard leagues and a future stud in dynasty formats.

Brodie is one of the budding defensemen in the Calgary organization, as he has shown the ability to hang with the big boys in the NHL over the last two seasons. He has 14 points in each of the last two years and has shown the ability to both score and lay into people. He has the potential to be a decent fantasy defenseman, but still needs to fully realize that potential before anyone drafts him for single-year formats.

Brodie played well in his first extended NHL time in 2011-12, showing some offensive spark and playing solid defense. His season came to an abrupt end in March with an upper body injury, but the Flames are high on Brodie’s future. He should grab one of the third-line defenseman spots in 2012-13, and while he may not have a ton of fantasy value quite yet, the 22-year-old has a bright future.

Brodie registered 34 points in 68 AHL contests with Abbotsford but was held off the scoresheet in three contests with the Flames. He's been productive offensively at most levels and is 21 years-old heading into training camp. Calgary is high on him, but it could take some adjusting before he starts producing at the NHL level.

Brodie, a rookie defenseman, turned plenty of heads in training camp and earned the chance to jump directly into the NHL before putting even one skate on the ice in the minors. Drafted by Calgary in the fourth round of 2008, Brodie has great vision and can spin his wheels quickly around the ice. He could prove to be one of the most pleasant surprises in Calgary this season.

Brodie is a smooth skating defenseman that the Flames took in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. At just 19 years of age he is not expected to make an impact for a few years.