The Chicago Blackhawks have a youth movement that is flowing through the ranks at the moment. With the 2024-2025 season ended, they will have to optimize the lineup, and that could mean moving on from defenseman T.J. Brodie.
According to a Chicago Blackhawks analyst the organization is set to move forward in the next phase of their rebuild. With the promotion of younger prospects into the lineup, there will be a shift in priorities at the end of the season, and defenseman T.J. Brodie could be a casualty of this.
With the Hawks attempting to accelerate the rebuild process, the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope believes Kyle Davidson could buy out T.J. Brodie.
Which would give the New York Rangers a discount on a depth defenseman that could help fix a broken blue line.
He's been struggling in a Blackhawks lineup that is inexperienced, and could be considered "green". A buyout would make the acquisition of Brodie that much cheaper, given he hasn't taken a shift with the Blackhawks since March 1st.
Along with that NHL Insider Frank Seravalli confirmed defenseman T.J. Brodie is a stone-cold lock, which implies he's set to be bought out very soon.
A fresh start in New York could be what the depth defenseman could use, given his poor performance in Chicago.
He originally drew ire from Blackhawks fans as he got priority over a spot in the lineup over prospects like Ethan Del Mastro and former 1st-round pick Nolan Allan.
This season with the Blackhawks he played a total of 54 games, and scored 10 points ( 2 goals, 8 assists) and was typically found in the bottom-four of the lineup.
As a buyout candidate, he could be a great ancillary option for injuries and for his veteran experience in the NHL.
