Kyle Brodziak is coming home.
The Edmonton Oilers signed the St. Paul, Alta., native to a two-year, $2.3 million contract on July 1, the first day of NHL Free Agency.
The 34-year-old makes his return to Edmonton, the team who selected him 214th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Brodziak made the full-time jump to the NHL in 2007, registering 33 points in his rookie season. He notched 10 goals and 33 points last season in St. Louis, who narrowly missed the playoffs.
In an interview with the Journal last week, Brodziak said the week leading up to free agency had some ups and downs.
"It was a little bit interesting . . . For the last little while I didn't think (signing in Edmonton) was an option. I was hoping in the back of my mind that it would be an option. It didn't sound like it was."
He added, "When we finally got it done on (July 1), it was exciting."
Brodziak said he had garnered interest from other teams, including the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He played six years with the Wild after playing in Edmonton, before joining the Blues the last three years. The Chicago Blackhawks were also in the mix for the centre.
"After carefully considering all the options, I think my wife and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be able to come back home and stay here year-round, especially with the age of our kids are at, it seems to make a lot of sense."
Brodziak's uncle Glen Brodziak, who currently resides and works in St. Paul, thinks it's a good return to wind down Kyle's career.
"To come back in his last few years of probably his NHL career, I think it's great. I think it's great for his family in Sherwood Park."
A permanent fixture in the league over the past 11 seasons, Brodziak says it's too early to determine where he slides into the young Oilers roster, but explained he's made a career in the past out of defensive zone face-off situations and on the penalty kill.
"I kind of go into every year trying to play my best, and hopefully as the year progresses I just earn as much ice time as I can."
The Oilers are coming off a rough season recording just 36 wins, a year removed from appearing in their first postseason since their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2005-06.
Brodziak believes last season was an exception, and the Oilers will soon be a dominant force once again.
"I definitely think . . . for whatever reason, I'm not really familiar with the situation but . . . the team I don't think played as well as they could've last year. Seeing the potential the year before when they got everyone in the lineup playing well and contributing," he said.
"That's something that definitely excites me, they're a young team that maybe went through a little bit of growing pains last year and hopefully this year can be a really good bounce back year for a lot of guys."
