By Giles Ferrell -
Jonas Brodin
Defenseman
6-foot-1
193 pounds
Born: July 12, 1993
2016-17 Team: Minnesota Wild
How Acquired: 2011 Draft (First round, 10th overall)
It is a bit weird to have Jonas Brodin still on this list, but he still is. However, at the age of 24, this will be the final time Brodin checks in on the list.
The 2017-18 season will mark Brodin's sixth in a Wild uniform. The 2011 first-round draft pick has been a lock on the roster since his call up from the Houston Aeros, early in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season. Brodin made a worthy case for the Calder that season, scoring 11 points (two goals-nine assists) while playing alongside Ryan Suter, but he ended up coming in fourth for the award.
The following year, Brodin improved on his point output, scoring eight goals and eleven assists. In not the most offensively structured system, it appeared that Brodin was going to bring more offensively than what was thought of him. But, it turned out that the offense dried up following that season.
Brodin tallied 17 and then seven points in the next two seasons, respectively. While he was still a rock in the defensive zone, he was just not doing anything offensively in the Mike Yeo (and for a brief while, John Torchetti) system.
But last year, Bruce Boudreau injected some life into Brodin's -- and the Wild's -- offense. Three goals and 22 assists help Brodin set career-highs in assists and points. He was the subject of trade rumors this past offseason, as the Wild maybe looked to cash in on his solid season, but he ended up staying in Minnesota as the Wild shipped out Marco Scandella from their blueline crew to help get some salary cap space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMRgRtgsawI&w=560&h=315
The remarks from Bob McKenzie on Brodin in that video still hold true today. "He makes a very good pass and is very good defensively. He is like Nik Lidstrom in terms of the ability to use the stick to break people up. He is a smart hockey player and he's got grace under pressure but again he's got no physical presence. Not a guy that puts up points."
That is exactly how Brodin has translated his game to the NHL, and has done so very well. With Suter, Jared Spurgeon, and Matt Dumba leading the Wild blue line in terms of offense, less is now expected of Brodin in terms of points. As long as he continues to work his magic (his teammates have affectionally called him "the wizard" because of his skills) in the defensive zone, he will remain a fixture in the Wild's top four.
Brodin is entering year three of a six-year extension that he signed just prior to the 2014-15 season (it did not take effect until 2015-16). He is making $4.166 million annually against the Wild's cap, which was a big reason why the Wild were listening to offers on him this past summer. But with Scandella the defenseman they moved on from, you might see the Brodin trade rumors put to bed for the next few years.
Check back on Wednesday to see who comes in at No. 3!
Previous posts:
No. 5-Luke Kunin
No. 6-Jordan Greenway
No. 7-Mike Reilly
No. 8-Gustav Olofsson
No. 9-Kaapo Kahkonen
No. 10-Dmitry Sokolov
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