Toronto Maple Leafs: Early look at 5 free agent defenceman targets

T.J. Brodie

Brodie has apparently been on Dubas’ radar since he was looking to acquire the 29-year-old as a part of a deal that would have sent Nazem Kadri to the Calgary Flames.

That trade never saw the light of day, but you have to think there was something Brodie brought to the table that the Toronto Maple Leafs GM liked. One thing was that while playing on the top pairing with Mark Giordano, Brodie was playing the right side as a left shot.

Before signing Mikko Lehtonen, you could make the case that the Leafs would have considered Brodie to do the same. Since putting up a career 45 points in 70 games back in the 2015-16 season, the Chatham, Ont., hasn’t been able to crack the 40-point mark.

The Leafs are obviously not looking for Brodie to play an offensive role on the blue line and he could see a similar benefit to playing with an offensive-minded partner like Rielly.

An issue with Brodie as James Mirtle of The Athletic pointed out, is that the Leafs were one of the teams on Brodie’s no-trade list so it’s tough to see them being among the desired landing spots for him in free agency. Add the fact that he is a left shot already makes it less likely to see the Leafs target him in free agency.