Noah Gregor
Noah Gregor was a surprise contributor on the fourth line for the Leafs early on last season. Through his first 28 games, Gregor had 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points while playing a key role on the Leafs penalty kill as well. However, he would only record one more goal in his next 35 games and eventually became a non-factor as his ice time decreased drastically towards the end of the season.
After signing with the Ottawa Senators to a one-year, $850,000 deal this past offseason, Gregor was given the opportunity to star in their top-six with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson to start the season. However, he failed to stick as he has been recently relegated back to the third line. For the season, Gregor has only recorded one goal so far and is already behind last year’s pace.
T.J. Brodie
T.J. Brodie spent the past four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs after signing as a free agent during the 2020 offseason. Brodie had been a dependable, defensive stalwart for the Leafs for much of the first three years with the team, but took a step backwards during the past season when he struggled with his play.
Nevertheless, he gave the Leafs the opportunity to be competitive by anchoring the back end during the time when they needed defensive stability the most. In total, Brodie posted 8 goals and 74 assists for 82 points in his four seasons with Toronto.
Brodie moved on to the Blackhawks this past offseason on a two-year, $7.5 million deal to help stabilize a young, rebuilding club with his veteran presence. To date, he has played mainly in the bottom two pairings and has recorded just 2 assists in 9 games to date.
However, with a CF% of only 45% and an expected goals rate of just 46% in 5-on-5 situations, his play has been steadily declining for the second straight season.