According to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada, the Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Chicago and Columbus are working in a trade involving Brandon Saad. More to come.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2015
Markus Meyer had Saad as one of the top RFA in this year’s crop. Here’s what he had to say:
While he may not have the “wow” season under his belt that Tarasenko does quit yet, Saad has developed into a key player on the Blackhawks roster and has been a solid contributor during the playoffs, including both Cup runs that he’s been involved in (2013 and 2015.) Saad was up for the Calder Trophy in 2012-13 for a season that saw him score 27 points in 46 games (he lost out to Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers). Since then, Saad has put up 99 points in 160 contests, with seasons that saw totals of 47 and 52. His post-season production has also been respectable, with 27 points in 38 games over the past two seasons. Saad put up a 53.8% Corsi-For, and a 52.7% Fenwick-For, as well as a plus-115 scoring chance differential last season.
It seems like a near-guarantee that Patrick Sharp is on his way out this summer, and when taking into account that Marian Hossa may start to slow down, Saad will likely see his ice-time increase, and he could start to put up gaudier totals than what he has accomplished to-date. Considering the lack of household names on the free agency market this year, teams may look to add a semi-proven scoring winger on the RFA front, and Saad will likely be an intriguing name for many. Going the other way, the Blackhawks are receiving a package that includes forward Artem Anisimov and prospect Mark Dano, as per Elliotte Friedman.
Saad has been traded to CLB. as @reporterchris tweeted, Anisimov and Dano part of return. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2015
More details to follow on what else the package may include.
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