Blues Place Saad On Waivers

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The Brandon Saad era with the St. Louis Blues appears to be over, at least for the time being.

The forward was placed on waivers on Tuesday, a move that probably comes as no surprise to anyone.

The 32-year-old, who signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) July 29, 2021, has not produced at the level that he’s been at in the past with just 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 43 games this season, but a consistent 20-plus goal scorer has scored in just three of his 43 games played this season and has moved in and out of the lineup; he had 26 goals (42 points) in 82 games last season.

“Obviously the production’s not there,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday. “… There’s been a group that’s been here for a while that things don’t seem to be changing. Collectively, you have to start chipping further and further up.”

Saad, who has this season and next remaining on his contract, will report to Springfield of the American Hockey League if unclaimed by 1 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday.

"I talked to he and his representative," Armstrong said of Lewis Gross. "If he gets claimed, he'll be on a new team. If not, he'll go down to play in Springfield. That will open up some space for different players that I'd like to see get in the lineup. So we'll see where it goes."

There appeared to be some traction for Saad, who has been healthy-scratched for five games, when he scored a hat trick against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 3 but he has not scored since.

“'Saader’s been a very productive Blue for a long time,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “Today’s not an easy day on him and his family. I have a lot of empathy for him cause it’s not easy. It’s a result-oriented league. He hasn’t been producing at the levels that he has been in the past, but that doesn’t take away what he’s done for us as a Blue.

“I think if you look at a lot of players on our team individually, it’s been similar to our team, the inconsistency of our team has been inconsistent because a lot of individuals have been inconsistent. Not only with production but with their impact from game to game.”

Saad has scored in just three games this season, including two two-goal games, but he's been up and down the lineup.

The Blues (23-24-4) have under-performed this season and are currently on a three-game losing streak; they trail the Calgary Flames by five points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

“At the end of the day, we all need to play better, every individual, every guy,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. “Obviously it’s been up and down for ‘Saader.’ He’s a heck of a player that can still score goals, that can still play in this league. Obviously hopefully he finds a fit somewhere else. He’s a good teammate. As players, you put it on yourself because you don’t want to see guys in these positions continuously get traded or waived, or whatever it may be. That’s obviously a problem that we have to fix internally to help each other out more.”

Armstrong indicated he’s tried to accommodate Saad in trading the 32-year-old but has come up unsuccessful.

Saad has a full no-trade clause this year and a 12-team modified no-trade clause for 2025-26.

“Right now the cap is tight,” Armstrong said. “Statistically, he’s not having a great year and he’s got another year left. If we could find a match, we would try. We don’t make these decisions, wake up one day and not try and cultivate the best … I’d like to put the players in the best situations and also get the best return for the Blues, and that was the same thing with [Perunovich]. We don’t try and not get the best assets that we can. The market speaks and then you just react.”