Health Starts In The Mouth

The Chicago Blackhawks reached a two-year contract agreement with veteran defenseman TJ Brodie on Monday night, capping off a busy day for the rebuilding club.

The deal totals $7.5 million over two years, the club announced, and added to a host of free agent signees, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen and Pat Maroon, goaltender Laurent Brossoit, and defenseman Alec Martinez.

Brodie just wrapped up a four-year megadeal that paid him $5 million per season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. At 33 years old, and with his numbers declining, he figured to be in line for a pay cut this summer, and that held true.

Last season, as the Maple Leafs qualified for the playoffs with the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division, Brodie finished with one goal and 26 points, but he was still strong defensively, posting a plus-17 rating. He averaged 21:43 time on the ice last season and is consistently, even well into his 30s, counted on for 20-plus minutes a game.

Brodie played in 78 games last season, and 82 in 2021-22 for the Maple Leafs, but appears a long way from his career high in goals, which he set at 11 with the Calgary Flames in 2014-15.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.