When Brandon Saad has his contract terminated by the St. Louis Blues on Friday, one of the reported teams interested in his services will be the Toronto Maple Leafs.
According to TSN’s Chris Johnston on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading, the Maple Leafs will be one of several teams inquiring about the 32-year-old once he becomes a free agent.
Saad was placed on waivers by St. Louis on Tuesday and if he cleared, which he did, he’d be sent down to the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Blues’ AHL affiliate. However, Saad wasn’t willing to play in the AHL, so the forward and St. Louis agreed to terminate his contract.
The veteran forward was placed on waivers again on Thursday so that both sides could end their agreement on Friday. Saad was signed through next season with a $4.5 million cap hit.
“One of those teams I expect to make a real push here would be the Toronto Maple Leafs. Obviously, Toronto’s in the market for a center, but interested in seeing if maybe Saad sees a fit for them as a potential wing option,” Johnston reported.
“But he’s going to have options and what the cost is will be the determining factor for some of these teams because, obviously, Saad did walk away from that money. He’s not going to come cheap necessarily.”
Saad has seven goals and nine assists in 43 games this season with the Blues. He currently sits ninth among St. Louis players in points. The veteran forward signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract with the club in July 2021.
Related: Report: Maple Leafs Targeting ‘Affordable Centers’ Ahead Of NHL Trade Deadline
As Johnston reported, the Maple Leafs are in the market for a center, meaning this fit might not work. However, Saad could bring some experience and depth scoring to a bottom six which has struggled to find the back of the net this season.
The only problem: Saad likely won’t come cheap, as Johnston reported. Toronto currently has just over $2 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia.com. That doesn’t include Anthony Stolarz or Calle Jarnkrok (both on long-term injured reserve), whose combined cap hit is $4.6 million.
Jani Hakanpaa is also on LTIR with a cap hit of $1.47 million, further questioning if the move to sign Saad is possible. He has two Stanley Cups, though, and played under Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube in St. Louis.
Saad scored 42 points (26 goals and 16 assists) in 82 games last season with the Blues. The scoring might still be there, which could be of benefit to Toronto. It’s just a matter of whether the Maple Leafs can fit him under the cap and what other teams will propose to him once he becomes a free agent on Friday.
Saad has 260 goals and 255 assists in 906 career games, split between the Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Colorado Avalanche. He won his two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.
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