The Vegas Golden Knights have signed forward Brandon Saad to a one-year, $1.5M contract, according to Elliotte Friedman.
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed forward Brandon Saad to a one-year, $1.5M contract, according to Elliotte Friedman.
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed forward Brandon Saad to a one-year, $1.5M contract, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Saad will be signed with the team until the end of the season and will join the Golden Knights for what they hope is a long playoff run. He'll bring a plethora of playoff experience as well as Stanley Cup pedigree, winning the cup twice in his career.
The 32-year-old was signed to a $4.5M contract but due to inconsistent play this season, the St. Louis Blues placed him on waivers. Despite having another year on his contract, Saad decided he did not want to play in the AHL and mutually terminated his contract with the Blues allowing him to become a free agent.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning were all reported to be seeking a contract with Saad but he ultimately decided to join the Golden Knights.
With the Golden Knights, Saad will have the opportunity to play in the team's middle six, taking off some offensive production pressure he could have been feeling with the Blues.
HC Bruce Cassidy enjoys the versatility that Nicolas Roy and Brett Howden bring to the lineup but with everyone healthy, it will allow him to settle into a more consistent lineup. Alexander Holtz hasn't been able to produce and has fallen out of the lineup. Cal Burke, Raphael Lavoie and Jonas Rondbjerg have been inconsistent in the AHL and likely won't be trusted to play in the playoffs. With everyone healthy, the Golden Knight lineup could look like this:
Barbashev-Eichel-Stone
Olofsson-Hertl-Dorofeyev
Saad-Karlsson-Howden
Pearson-Roy-Kolesar
The move by GM Kelly McCrimmon comes with very little risk but possibly a high reward. It's rare to acquire a player of Saad's calibre at this time of season without giving up prospects or draft picks but the move is a tidy piece of business by the Golden Knights GM.
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