'I'd Just Like Him To Clear His Head': TJ Brodie's Mental Break From Maple Leafs Action Will Extend Into Game Against Oilers and Possibly Longer
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe made TJ Brodie a healthy scratch for the first time in Toronto on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals and there appears to be no timeline on when he will return.
Perhaps it was overdue with his play this season, but it still came as a bit of a shock when Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed on Wednesday that veteran defenseman TJ Brodie would be a healthy scratch for the first time since joining the club.
There was no telling that how long that was going to be. Given it was the tail end of back-to-back games, sitting a defenseman for one game for a break is nothing new when Keefe has had multiple options in the lineup. But when the club took the ice for practice on Friday ahead of their game against the Edmoton Oilers on Saturday, Brodie was skating on the fourth defense pair, a clear indication that the player's mental reset was going beyond one game.
"Brodes is a better player than he's played. He's also played better hockey than it perceives, or than the perception might be," Keefe said of the 34-year-old Brodie. "But I think we and he acknowledge that he could be better. And we need him at his best. So if we have to take a step back in order for that to be the case, that's what we'll do. And that's where we're at right now."
It's been a very trying year for Brodie. He missed the start of training camp and didn't skate a lot in August after the passing of his father, Jay, following a battle with cancer.
When he has spoken this season about any difficult times he has had on the ice, he's made reference to life beyond hockey as a means to focus on staying positive following a bad game.
Through 66 games this season, Brodie's expected-goals percentage in all situations has fallen to a career-low 43 percent, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. Counted on to be one of Toronto's top penalty killers, the Leafs have given up 28 goals on the PK when he's been on the ice and it's been a large reason why Toronto is 24th of 32 NHL teams in that department this season through games played on Thursday.
Clearly, there is a lot going on. With the Maple Leafs carrying nine defensemen at practice with eight eligible to play (Mark Giordano remains on long-term injured reserve with a head injury until Mar. 25), and their playoff position somewhat affirmed with their third-place rank in the Atlantic Division, Keefe outlined what he wants to see from Brodie before the 34-year-old returns to the lineup.
"I'd just like to him to clear his head," Keefe said of Brodie. "He's had a tough go here right from the beginning of training camp all the way through. And because of the demands that we put on him, he hasn't really had time to breathe and regroup and find himself. And I think that's kind of where we're at.
"We've added some defensive depth here, obviously, at the trade deadline and we're in a different position as a team than we were. So we've got a chance, as I said, to really help Brodes and the mental part of it. I think we're hoping it re-energizes him. And with that comes an extra step. And when you have an extra step, all of a sudden, the puck moves quicker. All of a sudden, you're defending less. And all these sorts of things start to fall into place. But the most important thing right now for us is just to give him the time that he needs to get back to being himself because he's a very, very important piece of our team. When he's at his best, he's as good a defender as we have and as reliable and consistent a guy as we have. So we've got to get him to that."
Brodie is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He has no goals and 18 assists this season.
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