The question itself will make many people scoff, immediately dismissing the idea as ridiculous.

When you start to dig though, the progression of the two players is eerily similar… Could Brodie’s ceiling truly be so high? It remains to be seen at this point, but I’ll show you why the comparison may not be so completely off the wall as it might seem.

Situation

When Duncan Keith broke into the league, the Blackhawks were an absolutely dismal team in the midst of a rebuild. They were drafting high, and doing it frequently, putting together a cast of top picks including Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and lesser successes like Cam Barker, and Jack Skille. The Flames are currently in a rebuild of their own, and are starting to acquire players who will eventually be cornerstones of the organization.

Keith’s first full season in the NHL came at age 22 in the 2005-2006 season as he put up 9 goals and 12 assists with the rebuilding Blackhawks.

Brodie’s first full season also came at age 22, although because of the lockout it wasn’t really a full season. His 14 points in 47 games projects out to roughly 25 points, putting him slightly ahead of the Norris winner.

Both players broke out in their second full season. Each put up 31 points (2G and 29A for Keith, 4G and 27 assists for Brodie) with Keith improving drastically over the next few seasons, twice cracking the 60 point barrier and winning the Norris trophy in 2010, and 2014.

Brodie’s future path has yet to be determined, but all indications point to a continued upward progression for the young Flames blueliner.

Build, style, and deployment

Brodie and Keith both stand 6’1” tall, with Keith being slightly heavier at 192 lbs to Brodie’s 182 lbs. They’re both tremendous skaters, that seem to slow the play down around them when the puck is on their sticks. They both possess excellent vision, and have the ability to move the puck up the ice without sacrificing their defensive zone responsibilities.

In fact, when it comes to puck possession, and ability to drive the play up the ice, Brodie may already have the advantage. His relative Corsi last year (17.1) was second in the league, behind only his defensive partner Mark Giordano. This was also accomplished while starting only 41.9% of his shifts in the offensive zone, a number that is the seventh lowest in the league. In comparison, Keith started 56.4% of his shifts in the offensive zone and posted a relative Corsi of 7.2.

The new contract and the future

Whether T.J. Brodie’s ceiling will match that of a two-time Norris winner obviously remains to be seen, but there’s one thing that’s obvious; Brodie’s new contract is an absolute bargain for the Flames. Even if his progression were to completely stop today, he’s worth every dollar of his new 4.6 million dollar per year contract. And luckily for Flames fans, there’s really no reason to think that his progression is anywhere near complete.

So far this season, Brodie is setting a torrid pace on offense with 3 goals and seven points in 7 games. He’s currently tied for the lead in team scoring with Mason Raymond, and if he continues to play with the level of confidence that he has displayed so far this season this new contract may look like an absolute steal for the Flames before it even kicks in.

The Flames took to the ice last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and as we've been getting accustomed to, were able to keep the game close by pushing Stamkos and the Bolts to OT.

This group has been impressive in their ability to control the pace of the game by either coming back from a deficit, or maintaining status quo. They have managed to give some of the best teams in the league a run for their money early this season, and their play since December of last season has been quite impressive given where most pundits expected them to end up.

All this being said, I expect much of what we saw last year, with the possibility of a few improvements with respect to rookies and some of the newer additions. While missing out on Mike Cammalleri was thought to hurt in terms of offensive production, adding Mason Raymond in addition to having guys like Johnny Gaudreau and Joe Colborne looking to earn the respect of the league could work in their favour.

The Flames will take to the ice against the Caroline Hurricanes tomorrow night and I actually expect a strong showing from the good guys.

Thanks for reading!

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