Saad expected to draw interest as UFA starting Friday
Published
Veteran winger Brandon Saad is expected to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent on Friday following a mutual contract termination with the St. Louis Blues.
Saad cleared waivers Wednesday and was set to be assigned to the AHL before the two sides agreed to the termination. The 32-year-old is expected to be placed on unconditional waivers Thursday and can be released by the Blues once he clears Friday at 2pm ET.
As part of the termination, Saad will walk away from the remaining season-plus of his five-year, $22.5 million contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million, which was set to expire in 2026.
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic pointed to several contenders as potential landing spots for the two-time Stanley Cup champion. He listed the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars as potential landing spots. All of those teams are expected to buyers ahead of the trade deadline and adding Saad would come without the cost of parting with an asset.
Rutherford noted that Oilers general manager Stan Bowman was with the Chicago Blackhawks when Saad won his two Cups there and that Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube worked with Saad during his tenure in St. Louis.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger said Thursday he'd label the Maple Leafs interest in Saad as "at least moderate."
"I say that because I don’t want to say high or I don’t want to say limited," Dreger explained on Insider Trading. "High speaks to the level that he’s a primary target and that might ultimately end up being what it is, depending on what Brandon Saad gets on the open market when he clears waivers on Friday.
"The reason I choose the word moderate is because as much as I like the history between Craig Berube and Brandon Saad and the fact that Saad could complement what the Toronto Maple Leafs have because he can skate, he can provide secondary scoring. He hasn’t been providing much with the St. Louis Blues to this point of the year, which is why he’s gone through this process and you know, again, I caution.
"Toronto has other needs. We watched the game that the Leafs played against the Minnesota Wild. Yes, we know John Tavares is coming back. He should be back after the weekend but they’re suspect up the middle, so Brad Treliving is looking at the centre market and perhaps some help on the blueline. So, can they afford to bring in Brandon Saad if that money invested, cap space invested maybe comes at the expense of something more needy like a centreman or a defenceman? Those are questions that are probably being asked internally in Toronto and will swirl around any sort of negotiation specific to Brandon Saad and his agent."
Saad has seven goals and 16 points in 43 games this season, which his fourth with the Blues. He has not recorded a point in six straight games and has not scored since netting a hat trick against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 3.
In 2023-24, he scored 26 goals with 42 points in 82 games.
A second-round pick (43rd overall) by Chicago in 2011, Saad helped the Blackhawks win Stanley Cup titles in 2013 and 2015.
In 906 career NHL games, the Pittsburgh native has 260 goals and 515 points split between the Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche and Blues.