Report: Leafs, Penguins, Blackhawks, Bruins among 6 teams interested in Brodeur

It's official: New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will not return to Newark, N.J. next season, according to a report from TVA's Louie Jean. The 42-year-old goaltender became a fixture for the Devils 20 years ago, so this will mark the end of a long and glorious era for Devils hockey.

Brodeur will move on from the Devils and, for the first time in his storied career, join a new club this offseason. Despite his persistent poor form in recent years, he has plenty of suitors according to his agent Pat Brisson.

Jean reported on Saturday that there are six teams interested in acquiring Brodeur's services and that the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins are among the clubs interested.

None of those four teams make a tonne of immediate sense as destinations for Brodeur. The Bruins, Blackhawks, and Penguins have already committed to one-way NHL contracts with two goaltenders, although all of the presumptive backups - Jeff Zatkoff, Antti Raanta and Niklas Svedberg - are on deals that pay less than $950,000 and can be stashed in the American Hockey League without incurring a cap penalty.

The Maple Leafs are a more interesting case, since they still have restricted free agent James Reimer's contract situation to resolve this offseason. If Toronto can move Reimer this summer then it will require a backup, but netting a fair return for a goaltender in a buyers market won't be an easy task for Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis.