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Toronto Maple Leafs 2021-22 Defenseman and Goalie Grades

By Jeremy Ridgewell

May 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) celebrates with forward Mitch Marner (16) and forward Auston Matthews (34) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of game seven of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) celebrates with forward Mitch Marner (16) and forward Auston Matthews (34) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of game seven of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 14, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) and defenseman TJ Brodie (78) pursue the puck against Seattle Kraken center Calle Jarnkrok (19) during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) and defenseman TJ Brodie (78) pursue the puck against Seattle Kraken center Calle Jarnkrok (19) during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Feb 14, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) and defenseman TJ Brodie (78)   Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

T.J. Brodie:

T.J. Brodie played in all 82 games last season and finished with four goals and 24 assists for 28 points.

Brodie is not on the team to provide offense, and those 28 points are a bonus.

Now 32 year old, Brodie plays a cerebral game that does not rely on quickness or physicality to be effective, and so he has not seen the drop off that many of his peers see at the same age.

Brodie posted a 53% expected goals rating, and other than Timothy Liljegren, allowed the least shots against per minute on the team.

Overall, Brodie was rated better than 97% of NHL defensemen in the defensive aspect of the game, and overall he was an elite, star-level player who was statistically better than 85% of NHL defenseman.   (JFresh)

Considering he played on a top team, on the top pairing (for the most part) this is very impressive.

Toronto has a reliable defenseman who can play a ton of minutes in Brodie. It is easy to see why they signed him for four years back in 2020. Head coach Sheldon Keefe can feel comfortable knowing what he’ll get from Brodie every night.

A. . Defense. . T.J BRODIE

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