900-Game Veteran Emerges as the Ideal Candidate for Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs
With news that Brandon Saad and the St. Louis Blues will undergo a mutual contract termination, the Maple Leafs should scoop him up when he becomes a free agent.
Yesterday was a bit of a surprise when the St. Louis Blues placed veteran Brandon Saad on waivers, but given his lack of production and heavy cap hit it had to be done.
But he cleared as no team wanted his expensive $4.5M deal, and with no other options, it looks like St. Louis and Saad are looking to go their separate ways according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Need To Make A Free Agent Signing
If Brad Treliving wants to add a third line weapon to help offensively, he should definitely look to sign the two-time Stanley Cup winner.
Although this season has been a down year with the Blues (7G, 9A), Saad is one season removed from adding 26 goals and has been one of the NHL's most consistent players having double digit goals every season thus far.
He doesn't hit or block many shots, but would provide not only an offensive punch but the winning leadership on their third line, especially with Max Domi and Bobby McMann on his wings (sorry, Nick Robertson).
Saad will walk away from a large deal and eventually get released to free agency, but he still wants to win and could contribute to a team in a playoff push; much like the Leafs as Friedman continues:
He wants to play in the NHL; both player and team felt this gave him the best opportunity to do so. Next year's salary and cap hit ($4.5M) was a big hurdle for other teams."
Saad will sign with a team for the league minimum, and Toronto can afford it and could move some pieces pretty easily to get it done. Saad would be an instant improvement over their other depth forwards, and given he's already played under Craig Berube, the transition should be pretty seamless.
Saad will also go back on waivers for the purpose of contract termination, at which point teams will be free to approach him with an offer, and it's a tough pill to swallow to go from such a lucrative deal to under seven figures; but such is the life of an NHLer.
For his 14-year NHL career, Saad has a respectable 260 goals and 255 assists in 906 games, showing he's just as consistent a goal scorer as he is a playmaker.
He helps with Toronto's discipline problem too, as he only has 168 PIM over those 906 games; a 0.18 penalty per game rate and can offer some secondary power play help.
His playoff production is also very solid, with 55 points in 103 games and was a key factor in Chicago's Stanley Cup win in 2015.
Toronto doesn't have to dump their assets or a potential prospect in order to shore up their third line woes. Brandon Saad is going to be cheap, reliable, and wants a chance to win. Together, they can make each other happy by putting pen to paper.
