The St. Louis Blues and Brandon Saad have agreed to mutually terminate his contract after he was placed on waivers on Wednesday. For the move to be finalized on Thursday, Saad will need to clear waivers again.
Saad, 32, is walking away from $5.425 million in salary, according to PuckPedia. The Blues had attempted to trade Saad over the past few months but were unable to find a trade partner.
“Obviously the production’s not there,” GM Doug Armstrong said in a midseason news conference on Tuesday. “Right now the cap is tight, and obviously, statistically, he’s not having a great year and he’s got another year left. If we could find a match, we would try.”
Saad has recorded 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 43 games this season, with a 9.3 shooting percentage, which is the second-worst of his 14-year career.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, Saad is under contract through next season with a $4.5 million cap hit. Saad wants to keep playing in the NHL, sources say, but his contract’s extra year and high cap hit made it difficult for other teams to claim him on waivers or agree to a trade.
Now a free agent, Saad can sign with any team. If Saad had played for the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, the team would have faced a $1.15 million cap hit; now, they will be free of his contract, giving them more financial flexibility.
This season has already been one of change for the Blues, who fired coach Drew Bannister in November and hired Jim Montgomery after his firing in Boston.
The Blues are in what Armstrong has called a “retool” phase. The team doesn’t feel it can afford a full rebuild and is instead focusing on transitioning around a new core of players in their early 20s, including Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and new additions Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who were acquired during the summer from offer sheets.
