Blackhawks Should Not Consider Claiming Brandon Saad Off Waivers

Former Chicago Blackhawks forward and Stanley Cup Champion Brandon Saad is having a tough season. It is now to the point where the St. Louis Blues have put him on waivers after weeks of trying to trade him away.

Saad has a cap hit of $4.5 for the rest of this year and all of next year. That’s a lot for a guy that is producing at the pace that he is. Through 43 games played so far this season, he has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points. That’s low-level offensive production and his defensive game leaves a lot to be desired.

Although it would be sentimental for the Blackhawks to claim Saad, it would be a terrible move. They were already on the losing side of three trades involving Saad so they don’t need to claim him now at this stage of his career with that cap hit.

The Blackhawks need to be weaponizing their cap space to gain assets at the trade deadline. Picking up Saad would hinder that ability. He isn’t the player that helped them win Stanley Cups back in the day.

The Blackhawks have a surplus of young talent that should be playing every night. 32-year-old underproducing veterans playing over them would be bad management.

It would be a bad idea for any team in the NHL to claim Saad. There is a reason that the Blues, a mediocre team, are trying to get rid of him for nothing.

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