Toronto Maple Leafs Trade T.J. Brodie
T.J. Brodie is entering the final year of his contract. He carries a $5 million cap hit that Treliving could use towards improving the team.
Brodie plays a ton of minutes and has been reliable for the Maple Leafs since they signed him to a four-year deal in 2020.
In the first year of his contract, Brodie had a no-movement clause. The second and third years of his deal had a no-trade clause. That no-trade clause becomes a modified no-trade clause this year. Brodie must submit a list of ten teams he’ll accept a trade to.
Brodie played for Treliving in Calgary, and Treliving was willing to trade Brodie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019 for Nazem Kadri, but Kadri rejected the trade. If he was okay with trading Brodie once, who’s to say Treliving won’t be willing to trade him again?
Brodie’s production has started to decline. The Maple Leafs are not getting enough from Brodie to merit the $5 million they’re paying him. With that being said, I’m sure Treliving would be able to find a trade partner for Brodie’s services within the players’ team no-trade list.
With Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins on the right side, as well as having Jake McCabe, who can play the left or right side, Brodie is expendable. The Leafs could use Brodie’s $5 million toward a better top-four defenseman for either the right or left side. Brodie is no longer worth the $5 million he is making, and it’s time for Toronto to move on.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have no draft picks in the second, third, or fourth rounds in the 2023 NHL draft. They could try to recoup one of those in a trade for Brodie.