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Chicago Blackhawks deal Brandon Saad to Blue Jackets in trade shocker
Well, that trade came out of nowhere.
The Chicago Blackhawks did what they said they wouldn’t do and got rid of pending restricted free agent forward Brandon Saad. He was dealt along with defenseman Michael Paliotta and forward Alex Broadhurst to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forwards Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
Guess this means the Blackhawks thought Saad was going to get hit with a high-priced offer sheet and wouldn’t be able to match it. TSN’s Bob McKenzie said it could have been for six years at near $6.5 million per-year. If so, that’s absurd money – especially for a guy who has never scored 30 goals in the NHL and never made over a million dollars in the league.
Dano was a 2013 first-round draft pick and had 21 points in 35 games last season with Columbus. He’s on an entry-level deal. Anisimov has a $3.283 million salary cap hit and is entering the final year of his contract.
Dano is an averaged sized player that relies on his speed to create opportunities. He works hard in the offensive zone and is able to keep the puck on his stick. He has decent hands and can find the open man in traffic. In the defensive zone, Dano is responsible and knows when to step up on his mark. He plays a gritty game, which should fit right into Columbus’ hardnosed style.
Well, now Chicago’s style.
And as for future Blackhawks moves for Chicago this off-season, does this take Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell out of play? Both were rumored to be on the block to make room for Saad.
The Blue Jackets get a pretty solid winger with multiple Stanley Cups to play with center Ryan Johansen for the next decade or so.
“We’re very excited to bring Brandon Saad, a 22-year old two-time Stanley Cup champion with great size, speed, power and the ability to score goals, to our organization,” Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen. “He is a proven winner and exactly the kind of player we want as a Columbus Blue Jacket.”
Saad scored a career-high 23 goals last season and had 52 points. He was considered a prime offer sheet candidate this offseason due to his age and overall potential. The Blackhawks probably believed that the Blue Jackets offer was better than whatever compensation they would have received for not matching a Saad deal.
For the aforementioned six-year $6.5 million per-year contract, compensation would have been a first, a second and a third round pick. This seems like a better deal for the Hawks by getting some NHL-ready talent in return, instead of draft picks. Or eating a Saad mega-deal.
The Blackhawks are currently in salary cap hell with $65 million tied into 14 players. The salary cap has been set at $71.4 million for next year.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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