Calgary Flames: Former notable fourth-round picks

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OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 09: Calgary Flames Defenceman T.J. Brodie (7) warm-up before National Hockey League action between the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators on March 9, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Number Two: D TJ Brodie, 2008

We finally have an active player and a player who isn’t a centre. In 2008, the Calgary Flames selected TJ Brodie with the 114th pick. In his draft year, he had four goals and 30 points in 68 games with the Saginaw Spirits of the OHL. He continued to play with them until 2009-2010, when he was traded midway through the season to the Barrie Colts.

For the 2010-11 season, he went pro and played for the Flames’ affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. He did make his NHL debut that year but played in just three games for the Flames. Putting up 34 points in 68 games with the Heat, Brodie was considered one of the Flames top prospects. Consequently, he had a bigger role for the Flames the following season after an injury to Anton Babchuk left him unable to play in November.

He had two goals and 14 points in 54 games with the Flames that season. The following year in 2012-13, he again split his time between the Flames and the Heat. He had the same amount of points with the Flames as the year before but in seven fewer games. After their season ended, Brodie was invited by Team Canada to play at the World Championship, his first ever international tournament. He recorded one assist in seven games at the tournament, but Canada was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Brodie got a full-time job with the Flames to start off the 2013-14 season and became a prominent member in 2014-15, when the Flames were known as the “comeback kids” and made it to the playoffs for the first time in six years. He alongside Mark Giordano for that top pairing were considered one of the best defensive duos in the NHL.

The past two seasons, Brodie took somewhat of a dip in his point production and his defensive abilities in general. Many people attributed that to being paired with Dennis Wideman last season but it seems like this season, he’s making his own mistakes and it’s hard to point the blame at someone else. Lately, there have been trade speculations circulating with his name involved, however, the Flames may not be able to get a lot of trade value for him after this past season.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this off-season plays out.

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