Jonny Brodzinski turns 32 in June, and the journeyman forward has appeared in 209 games across nine seasons. The 2024-25 campaign was the first time Brodzinski established himself as a full-time NHL player, as it was the first season in which he was never assigned to the AHL. That in itself is a win for Brodzinski, but whether this trend will continue into next season remains to be seen.
Expectations
Brodzinski skated in 57 games for the New York Rangers last season, and 16 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack where he had served as team captain. With a line of 11-14-25 for the Pack, it was clear that Brodzinski was too good for the league even if he wasn't quite ready to be in the NHL on a full-time basis. In his 57 games with the Rangers he gave the team his all whenever he was asked, and posted a line of 6-13-19 while averaging 11:08 per night. His gave the team utility with an ability to play all three forward positions, and with a cap hit of just $787,500 he provided surplus value relative to his role. Heading into the 2024-25 season it is fair that the Rangers expected Brodzinski to be ready to answer the call once again, and provide some bottom of the lineup depth.
Performance
Brodzinski has a successful, and I'd argue very unsustainable, 2024-25 season. This isn't a slight to how hard he worked or a knock on him as a player, and it is hard to get worked up over a bottom-six forward making under $1 million per season. His "NHL dot com" numbers include 12 goals, 7 assists, and 19 points in 51 games while skating 11:41 per night. He took just 73 shots the entire season, and that 16.4 shooting percentage was quite an accomplishment for the Minnesota native.
His underlying numbers per Evolving-Hockey reflect this luck, as his goals for percentage was 59.71 whereas his expected goals for percentage was just 42. When you consider that the Rangers were out chanced 54.24 percent to 45.76 percent whenever Brodzinski was on the ice, that gap starts to make a little more sense. That said, luck is part of hockey, and getting nearly 20 points out a player who logged a considerable amount of time on the fourth line is solid.
Where They Go From Here
Brodzinski's season was one that's unlikely to be repeated, and even though he put forward a good effort, it might not be good enough for next season. The Rangers are coming off a very disappointing season, and with Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, and Gabe Perreault as youngsters expected to be in the mix, opportunities will need to be created by moving on from players. Brodzinski is one of the players who could be on the bubble, and it will be interesting to see which players President and General Manager Chris Drury deems expendable. Brodzinski was a great guy for the Blueshirts, but his days on Broadway could be numbered as the organization look to shake things up to return to Stanley Cup contention.