The flurry of reports surrounding the Blackhawks signing free agents on July 1 was wild to watch unfold. We woke up that morning to reports that Tyler Bertuzzi was coming to Chicago and the dust didn’t start to settle until Teuvo Teravainen, Alec Martinez, Laurent Brossoit, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith had joined the organization. By the middle of the afternoon, it had been a busy day for the Blackhawks’ front office.

But they weren’t done. Early in the evening that day, the Blackhawks announced a final veteran addition to their NHL roster. Defenseman TJ Brodie signed a two-year deal, leaving Toronto to join a team in a completely different world in the NHL.

Brodie’s Blackhawks Fit

No longer playing in a city that believes it Stanley Cup or complete, biblical failure every season, Brodie comes to a Blackhawks team that made steps to move forward competitively in the coming season. The Blackhawks are coming off a historically bad season for the franchise, so even a remarkable improvement wouldn’t be enough for them to be a playoff contender.

Brodie, 34, is one of eight veterans joining the Blackhawks, including Ilya Mikheyev (who was acquired via trade from Vancouver before the draft). That’s a significant injection of players to a roster that was decimated by injuries at times last year, forcing the coaches and front office to rely on waiver claims, AHL players and younger prospects to play roles they weren’t suited for.

The depth added this summer should give the Blackhawks’ coaches more complete options to build a more “real” NHL roster with four lines that can compete every night. And they’re better suited to withstand injuries at every position on the roster, which is huge as they look to give their first wave of top forward prospects appropriate time to develop in Rockford.

“[The Blackhawks will] be a lot different,” he said. “You look at the team from last year and the pieces that they added this summer and I think they made some good signings. Hopefully we can take that next step forward and get much closer.”

Brodie acknowledged there could be a bit of a culture shock going from the pressure cooker in Toronto to Chicago’s understanding of the rebuild, but he’s excited to join a group that he thinks can make the big steps forward that general manager Kyle Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson said they wanted to make at the end of the previous season.

He likes the mix on the blue line, saying he wants to come and do whatever is asked to help the team compete every night. The additions of Brodie and Martinez to replace Jarred Tinordi, Jaycob Megna and the collection of young players who mixed into the roster last year should give the Blackhawks a lot more stability around younger players who earn a spot on the NHL roster like Kevin Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser and Ethan Del Mastro. Brodie has appeared in 908 regular-season games, so he could reach his 1,000th game mark as a member of the Blackhawks during his two-year contract.

“It’s a great group back there,” Brodie said. “I’ve been in the league for quite a while now. I want to bring my experience and just try to help out any way I can and do whatever it takes to help the team be the best it can be.”

Brodie’s Family Plan

For Brodie, the move from Toronto to Chicago was as much about the lifestyle fit as it was a hockey move. He told me he spoke with Nick Foligno — the Blackhawks’ lead recruiter apparently — about the fit. His wife also talked to Petr Mrázek‘s wife about the family life in Chicago. He said that was something that was very important to them as they looked to move their family after spending four years with the Leafs.

“All the guys I talked to love the city and enjoy it there and say it’s great for families,” Brodie said. “That’s always a huge part for me is making sure my family is happy where they are too… seeing what it’s like away from [the rink] – not even the hockey part of it, but the living part. Making sure that it will be a good fit for us.”

Brodie said they were able to find a place to live after, again, talking to the Folignos and others about good areas around the city to raise kids and good schools. He said they’ll probably come to Chicago a few weeks before the season to get settled in before training camp.

Before he makes the move, Brodie is hosting a charity pickleball tournament in Dresden. He’ll spend some more time being a dad before the grind of his 15th NHL season begins.