Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shared earlier today that Jarred Tinordi has been cleared after a knee surgery in the summer, and he is now hoping to resume his career. The defenseman spent 2024-25 with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers before the injury, and last played in the NHL with the Blackhawks two seasons ago.
Drafted 22nd overall by Montreal in 2010, Tinordi, 6’6”, once projected as a reliable stay-at-home top four defenseman, but things did not quite pan out. Son of NHL defender Mark Tinordi, Jarred had the pedigree to go along with strong reach and defensive upside. A physical force on the London Knights, he recorded just 30 points in his OHL career, and as the game evolved into the 2010s, players in his mold seldom appeared as high draft picks any longer.
Unable to break through with the Canadiens, Tinordi was dealt to Arizona in early 2016, in a controversial trade involving All-Star-to-be, John Scott. He appeared in just seven games with the ‘Yotes, spending 2016-17 with AHL Tucson. His one goal on the season went into the history books however, the first in the Roadrunners’ home debut as a franchise.
After a stop in the Penguins’ system, Tinordi signed with the Predators, set to serve as captain of their affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. By this point, he was a strong AHL player with leadership qualities, but any sustained NHL future seemed out of the picture. Tinordi worked his way up to the Preds lineup in 2019-20, appearing in 28 games and scoring his first NHL goal, at age 27, a sign of his resilience. One year later, in 2021, he was waived, leading to short stops with the Bruins and Rangers. Tinordi, then 30, was picked up by the Blackhawks.
No less than a decade of grinding away between the AHL and NHL, across six different organizations, Tinordi’s determination paid off in 2022-23 as he became a full time NHLer for Chicago. The veteran played in 96 games for the Hawks, and while the numbers were not pretty, especially suiting up for a rebuilding team, Tinordi brought needed physicality and leadership to a team in darker times.
Tinordi caught on with Calgary last season, on a two-way deal, where he served as an alternate captain with the Wranglers before the injury. Now healthy, NHL opportunities are not likely for the defender who will turn 34 in February, especially coming off knee surgery, and with the game faster than ever. Yet considering everything he has been through, it would be nice to see an AHL team pick up the veteran to continue his tenure in North America. In September it was speculated the Blackhawks organization might have interest. Regardless of what comes next, Tinordi was able to carve out a long career despite not meeting initial expectations, with 205 games at the highest level.
Image credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
He was actually fairly useful for the Hawks 2 years ago. He might be worth a flier for somebody.