Rangers' Jonny Brodzinski reflects on 'taxing' journey to NHL as trade deadline nears
TARRYTOWN - Jonny Brodzinski and his wife, Lauren, have developed an annual, albeit disruptive, routine.
When NHL training camps open every September, Lauren and their two young daughters hang back in their Minnesota home and await word regarding their next destination. In recent years, that's meant either joining Jonny in New York or heading further north to Hartford, home of the Rangers' AHL affiliate.
But even after that's decided, they have to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Brodzinski has started four straight seasons in Hartford, only to be recalled whenever a Blueshirts' need arises.
He's lost count at this point − "I can't even tell you how many times on the transaction log I've been up and down," he said − but according to CapFriendly, the veteran forward has been involved in 84 total transactions since signing his entry-level contract in 2015 while being placed on waivers six times.
"It's very taxing, especially mentally," Brodzinski said following Rangers practice Thursday at the MSG Training Center. "A lot of dinner plans have been canceled. A lot of trying to find a babysitter last minute because I'm getting called up."
They typically rent a home in Hartford, where Brodzinski spent the majority of the previous three seasons as the Wolf Pack's captain, then cram the entire family (plus their dog) into a hotel room whenever the Rangers come calling.
"I have 250,000 Hyatt points right now," he said with a grin.
Brodzinski admitted the lifestyle brings unique challenges − not to mention drastically different paychecks, depending whether he's in the AHL or NHL − with his wife juggling the chaos while trekking back and forth from New York to Connecticut a few times a week for their oldest daughter's preschool classes. But he's the last one to complain about it.
He's never lost the passion to continue chasing his NHL dream, even after eight years of having it repeatedly slip through his fingers.
"A lot of guys, if they haven't made it at that point – maybe a few years ago for me, getting up in my upper 20s – they’ll go overseas or something like that and try to make as much money as possible," he said. "But deep down, I've always felt like I belonged here and I can contribute at this level. I know that I can, and this year I'm trying to prove it."
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At age 30, Brodzinski is in the midst of his most significant opportunity yet. He's played 32 games and counting for the Rangers this season, with three more to go to tie his single-season career high from 2017-18 with the L.A. Kings.
Back then, he thought he was on the verge of breaking through for good, but a serious shoulder injury in 2018 kept him out for nine months and led to the Kings moving on. He spent a year in the San Jose Sharks' organization before being signed by New York in 2020, where he's become the Blueshirts' primary up-and-down guy − a tweener who's dominated the AHL but struggled to stick at the highest level.
"I’d get called up for a few games, I’d do my job here, I’d play well, but then somebody would come back from injury or somebody would get healthy from being sick or whatever it was, and I'd get sent right back down," he said. "They'd always just tell me, ‘You did a good job. You did everything we asked you to do. Just be ready for that next call up.’"
It would have been easy to get discouraged, as many others have, but that's not in Brodzinski's nature.
With a supportive family in his corner, he's ridden wave after wave, all while relishing his role as a mentor for many Rangers' prospects during his time in the AHL.
"I love being a captain," he said. "The biggest part of it would probably be being able to go back to Hartford and back to a bunch of guys that look up to me."
Embracing his leadership position has earned Brodzinski respect and admiration throughout the organization, but his time with the Wolf Pack wasn't strictly spent guiding young players.
Even as he approached 30, he continued to grind and evolve his game, turning himself into a versatile, two-way forward who still sits atop the AHL leader board after registering an average of 1.56 points per game prior to his late-November call-up.
"A lot of it was being able to go down to Hartford and play a lot of minutes – (penalty kill), power play, playing in all situations," he said. "It was huge, and I’m playing wing and center. I’ve been just rounding out my game. That’s the biggest thing. As a winger, I feel like sometimes you can get away with not being as sharp defensively. But at center, you'll get picked apart if you're not going to be very responsible."
The shift to center has paid off, with the Rangers giving Brodzinski an extended shot to replace the injured Filip Chytil in the middle of the third line.
He's been heating up of late, with goals in two of his last three games, but the underlying numbers have been steady all along. You might be surprised to know the 6-foot, 204-pounder ranks second on the team behind star forward Artemi Panarin with a 54.63% xGF, according to Natural Stat Trick, while his current line with Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko has posted solid metrics across the board.
Is that enough to finally earn himself a full-time spot? Brodzinski knows better than to fall into that trap, with the strong likelihood remaining that team president Chris Drury will add another center into the mix prior to the March 8 trade deadline.
That could force the inspiring Minnesotan out of the lineup again, but at the very least, there's a compelling argument to keep him on the roster as the 13th forward.
No matter what happens, Brodzinski knows one thing: He's going to take it in stride and show up wherever they tell him to go. He's been through it all at this point, with none of the demotions or disappointments enough to keep him from chugging along.
"You know what? I've been sent down and called up so many times that I’m just onto (Friday's game in) Chicago right now," he said. "I really mean it. You just look for tomorrow. I’m trying to do my best today in practice, then I wake up tomorrow and I'm trying to do the best in that game tomorrow. Whatever happens the next day is out of my hands.
"It’s kind of how I've been living every day. I’ve been sent down and called up so many times that mentally, I feel like I'm so free from all that. It's just another day."
NY Rangers (32-16-3) projected lineup: Game 52 at Chicago Blackhawks (14-35-2)
When: Friday, Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m.
Where: United Center in Chicago
TV/Radio: MSG Network/98.7 FM
Forwards
Top line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Blake Wheeler (RW)
Second line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)
Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (C) ⋄ Kaapo Kakko (RW)
Fourth line ⊳ Jimmy Vesey (LW) ⋄ Barclay Goodrow (C) ⋄ Tyler Pitlick (RW)
Defensemen
Top pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)
Second pair ⊳ Ryan Lindgren (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)
Third pair ⊳ Erik Gustafsson (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Jonathan Quick
Long-term injured reserve: F Filip Chytil (upper body)
Healthy scratch: D Zac Jones and F Jake Leschyshyn
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rangers' Jonny Brodzinski savors NHL chance as trade deadline nears
