Ex-Blackhawks, Maple Leafs 900-game veteran free agent remains desperate to find NHL home late in free agency

Early in the offseason, even before the draft, the Chicago Blackhawkhe Chicago Blackhawks made the decision to buy outs made the decision to buy out TJ Brodie's contract.

The Hawks will pay him $3.23 million in the 2025-26 season, and $258,000 in the 2026-27 season.

To do so, they placed him and his $3,750,000 AAV deal on waivers, hoping another team would claim him.

However, he wasn't claimed and became available in free agency after being bought out. Here we are, late in September, and he remains available.

With the start of the regular season scheduled in less than two weeks, teams still have time to make their offers.

Brodie could be an interesting option for organizations that lose defensemen in the preseason.

The 35-year-old veteran took part in 54 games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring 10 points, including two goals, with 58 blocked shots and a -8 +/-.

Over his career, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames in addition to the Blackhawks.

It'll be interesting to see if a team decides to take a chance on him at some point in the preseason, or even during the regular season.

If he were to get a shot, Brodie would be in a position to reach the 1,000-game mark, with only 38 games left. Although he struggled with many injuries in his career, nothing indicates he couldn't be back for another season to get to that plateau before retiring.

Even if no team claimed him in June when his contract was bought out by the Hawks, he could sign a much cheaper contract elsewhere. If he had been on a $1M AAV deal, it wouldn't have been surprising to see him claimed.

Stay tuned for further updates.