After suffering a road defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Washington Capitals in the second half of a back-to-back on Wednesday. With the exception of late-season rest games, veteran defenseman T.J. Brodie will sit for the first time in his Maple Leafs career. Sheldon Keefe made the announcement earlier in the day.
After winning the game 7-3, the Maple Leafs took a two-day rest. For the second straight game, Brodie was expected to be a healthy scratch from the starting lineup on Saturday. With a 6-3 victory, the team triumphed over the potent Edmonton Oilers offence once more.
It’s not because Brodie isn’t important to the team anymore; rather, Keefe wants him to “clear his head” after a difficult season in which he hasn’t performed at the highest level defensively while being one of the team’s better defensive alternatives.
What will Keefe and his club do with the veteran defenseman now that the Maple Leafs have defeated them 2-0 without him in the lineup?
Brodie of the Maple Leafs Needs a Mental Reset
Keefe wants to find some way to help Brodie reset his mind. Because of the cancer-related death of his father, Jay, before the season, Brodie’s play on the ice has been somewhat less concentrated than it has in the past.
This doesn’t mean that he is only focused on his own struggles; there may be other external factors affecting him. Hockey is just a game, and players have lives outside the rink that take precedence. The coach sees the situation as a chance for the 34-year-old to reset.
Keefe expressed the importance of Brodie clearing his head and taking time to regroup due to the challenges he has faced since training camp. Brodie has been logging the second highest ice time for the Maple Leafs this season, showing his importance to the team as a penalty killer. However, the team has struggled on the penalty kill, ranking low in the league. Brodie’s expected-goals percentage has also decreased to a career low, impacting his performance on the ice.
