The Blackhawks haven’t had awesome luck with some recent acquisitions, with Laurent Brossoit and Alec Martinez on injured reserve. Since we still have no data on them, they won’t count as players the Hawks should already regret acquiring because for all we know, each could be just fine once they return.
But one recent acquisition this past offseason has been more disappointing than any other signing, and that’s T.J. Brodie. Brodie has averaged just 15:14 per game so far this season, and while we should all know the situation is to play the younger guys more in the Windy City, it’s nonetheless a significant drop-off from the 21-plus minutes he logged last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His average time on ice is the second-lowest so far on the team out of all defensemen who have regularly played this year, pacing only Nolan Allen, who is currently at 12:58. A veteran like Brodie has never been one to score, but he’s done a decent job racking up assists, something we saw last season when he finished with 25 helpers while with the Leafs.
T.J. Brodie hasn’t played as-advertised so far with the Blackhawks
Through 13 games, Brodie has seen nine goals go by at even strength, putting him on pace for between 54 and 55 goals allowed while on the ice. That said, his on-ice save percentage of 90.6 isn’t too bad, especially when you consider the Blackhawks as one of the NHL’s more long-term rebuilding efforts, but you’d still like to see fewer shots against overall, and fewer allowed goals.
Further, he’s been more than ineffective when the Hawks find themselves in the offensive zone, again at even strength. His on-ice shooting percentage sits at just 3.8 so far, and he’s been out there for just three goals this season. By contrast, that number sat at 80 through 78 games in 2023-24.
And yes, I know he was out there at even strength playing for one of the NHL’s most high-octane teams. But you would think he’d bring at least a little of that playmaking ability to the Windy City.
If there’s any good news here, it’s not over for Brodie since we’re not yet 20 games into the season. A larger sample size is inevitably needed, but if there’s a trend in which the Blackhawks may have wished they spent their money wiser in the offseason, general manager Kyle Davidson may have thought twice before bringing in T.J. Brodie.
