T.J. Brodie, UFA of the Calgary Flames was one of the players involved in a Nazem Kadri trade last year that failed when Kadri refused to waive his no-trade clause. That worked out well for him, and less well for the Leafs.

Now, the Leafs get their man as a UFA.

Brodie is 30, and was drafted by the Flames in the fourth round in 2008.  He is a left-shooting defender with extensive experience on the right side for the Flames playing opposite last year’s Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano.

Brodie is coming off a contract with the Flames that had an AAV of $4.65 million.

Originally from Chatham, Ontario, it’s entirely possible the Leafs signed two Red Wings fans in one day. Listed at 6”1” and 183 lbs, he’s a bit smaller than Jake Muzzin, but carries a reputation as a more defensive defenceman.

That’s pretty good defensively, albeit more in shots against than quality against.

The criticism of Brodie has long been that by playing almost exclusively with Giordano, even a good model fails to isolate what’s Brodie and what is Gio. However, this season, he played a bit with Michael Stone, who is no Giordano, and had a fabulous year.

This sure seems like an excellent deal.

Leafs fans thought that losing out on the Brodie deal last year was dodging a bullet, likely because the other player involved was Mark Jankowski, who hasn’t impressed. But with Alex Kerfoot locked up and Brodie on the roster, this is the best of both worlds.

We’ll have a detailed look at the cap implications once the contract details are confirmed.

Maple Leafs Cap Space After the Brodie Signing

More clarity:

Very interesting structure put together with the no-trade clauses. That would not be a comfortable buyout or trade in the final year.

Free Agents and Contracts