TJ Brodie
TJ Brodie hasn’t had the best season, to say the least. He currently has a team worst +/- of -16, which is also tied for third worst in the league. Last season, he had a +/- of 4 and the season before that, it was at 15. So safe to say that this isn’t one of his best seasons.
Brodie currently has 16 points in 43 games whereas last season, he had 45 points in 70 games. He’s definitely not on pace to match that this season.
Unfortunately for him too, as good of a skater that he is, he has led to some turnovers this season that have also led to goals. He isn’t with his usual defensive partner this season either, captain Mark Giordano, but it’s not like they were doing much better together anyways.
I personally love Brodie and his playing style. He generally makes smart decisions and is able to get the puck from the opponent if there had been a giveaway. And like I said, he’s an excellent skater. But for some reason, he’s not on his A-game. He can and needs to do better. Especially if this team ends up making the playoffs. They won’t make it past the first round on mediocre defense.
Dennis Wideman
Oh Dennis Wideman. The things everybody can say about the Widedog. He currently has 12 points in 36 games, so he could potentially meet what he had last season with 19 points in 51 games. And as much as anybody will disagree, I still have it in me that the officials are against Wideman, but hey.
Wideman has been an interesting story the last few seasons. In the 2014-2015 season, he netted 56 points in 80 games as a second defense unit with former Flame Kris Russell. His, Russell, and with Brodie and Gio on the first defensive unit, they were arguable one of the best groups of defense on any team.
Then the 2015-2016 season came and the Calgary Flames didn’t exactly do the best, to say the least. And with the team struggling, some players struggled, including Wideman. And then the whole infamous incident with the official and now it just seems like he’s not his 2014-2015 season self. The Flames are also caught in a bad contract with Wideman, with him earning an average salary of $5.25 million.
There are also talks that he could be traded before trade deadline. The only problem is his contract right now. And a lot of teams are wary of the fact that he seems to have a target on his back by the officials. Will any team even want to pick him up?
So at the halfway mark so far this season, he’s been a bit of a disappointment.