This is going to be a tough pill to swallow for the Blackhawks as Brandon Saad was proving to be one of the best young players in the league; not to mention the Blackhawks snagged him 43rd overall in the 2011 draft.
Advertisement
All in all, it’s a decent package once the shock wears off – but still, Saad is the best player involved in the 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.
“We have some flexibility”, Bowman said.
Despite Saad’s free agent status, Blackhawks’ general manager Stan Bowman indicated on several occasions that the team was going to bring back the promising forward. Bowman envisions Dano fitting in nicely with the Blackhawks and said Morin and Tropp could compete for NHL spots in training camp. Saad was reportedly looking for a longer term deal worth more than $4 million annually.
-The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Brendan Smith to a two-year contract.
Kekalainen also told reporters that an offer sheet on Saad prior to the trade was “not in our plans”.
The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups since 2010, and now they have the challenging task to fit their talent under a salary cap that will grow by less than four percent next season.
Anisimov, 27, is the centerpiece of the deal for the Blackhawks. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Tuesday that his team is working on a contract extension for Saad, adding that talks “accelerated pretty quickly”. “In addition, we have a young player in Marko Dano who we think has a very bright future”, Bowman said.
The crown jewel in this trade is Dano, who is only 20 and showed spurts of brilliance last season. Now, with Saad’s deal off the table, Bowman can consider great depth in centers.
This deal is really just a cost saving move by Chicago and a smart move by Columbus. It was the kind of play Chicago fans will miss for years to come. Plus, pieces like Andrew Desjardins and Andrew Shaw offer options at center, too.
Bowman said sullenly: “You can never look backwards”. The Stanley Cup champions send 22-year old Brandon Saad to Columbus, together with prospects Michael Paliotta (D) and Alex Broadhurst (C).
Managing the NHL’s salary cap isn’t easy, especially when you have Toews and Kane on your roster.
-The St. Louis Blues signed forward Jeremy Welsh to a one-year, two-way contract. Another name to watch, also from St. Louis, is 32-year-old Zbynek Michalek, who could sign at a lower cost.
Given the focus on the blue line, this one was a stunner. He may be battling with trade partner Corey Tropp. Dano could be another guy along those lines.
Advertisement
There’s plenty more to watch to watch this offseason.
