The San Jose Sharks have decided to fill out some of their organizational depth with the signing of Jonny Brodzinski to a one year deal.
Team Teal is on a bit of a budget this off-season after signing of Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier. This forces the San Jose Sharks front office into making some difficult decisions when it comes to filling out the rest of the roster relying on players like Jonny Brodzinski to fill out the rest of their roster.
The Sharks front office decided to gamble on the 6 -1 right-handed center offering him a 1 year deal worth approximately 700,00 dollars to the former divisional rival.
The 26-year-old is known mostly for the his goal scoring prowess and his playmaking ability within the offensive zone. Jonny Brodzinski has spent his entire NHL career within the Los Angeles Kings organization after being drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 draft. A few years of his development was at St. Cloud University, but eventually made his AHL debut with the Ontario Reign in 2014 – 2015.
His best season with the Kings AHL affiliate was in 2016 – 2017 where he compiled 49 points, potting 27 goals over 59 games. But since then Brodzinski hasn’t really gotten the chance to gain his footing during his time with the Kings. He struggled with the adjustment in his role from primary goal scorer in the AHL into a 4th line checker at the NHL level and most recently a debilitating shoulder injury in 2018 – 2019.
The Minnesota native’s style of play is an interesting fit for the San Jose Sharks. Known more for his goal scoring prowess it will be fun to see how Team Teal’s coaching staff carves out a role for former St. Cloud State Husky. He will likely be battling for a spot in the bottom six, with his right-handed shot giving him a slight edge over some of the other depth forwards.
The first role that comes to mind for Brodzinski is 4th line center with his offensive upside eclipsing the current 4C Barclay Goodrow. But with the loss of Joe Pavelski and the inevitable shift of Kevin Labanc into the top six there will likely be a void on the right side of the 3rd line. It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out during training camp that’s only months away. . .
The San Jose Sharks have a lot of questions when it comes to rounding out the rest of their roster up front, however they have a few potential players who will have the opportunity to breakout with the surrounding talent on Team Teal. The season might be over but fans of the Sharks have plenty to ponder over the coming months when it comes to their roster construction up front.