Four NHL Teams That Should Consider Signing Brandon Saad

Brandon Saad and the St. Louis Blues mutually agreed to terminate the left winger’s contract after he clears unconditional waivers on Friday.

The decision comes after Saad cleared waivers on Wednesday to make him eligible to head to the AHL.

Saad is walking away from about $5.4 million over the next season-and-a-half to continue playing in the NHL and to make himself more of an attractive asset to other clubs. His previous contract was a five-year deal with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million, set to expire after the 2025-26 season.

Unless any team claims Saad off unconditional waivers by 2 p.m. ET, Saad becomes a UFA and is eligible to sign with any team right away. Multiple reports say Saad could sign as soon as Friday. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported the Maple Leafs are expected to inquire about Saad, while The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford speculated the Edmonton Oilers, Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars could be interested.

Earlier in the season, Saad was considered trade bait for the Blues. However, because of his 16 points in 43 games and salary, GM Doug Armstrong never made a deal.

Saad’s new contract will likely be significantly cheaper than his previous contract, and these four teams should also consider convincing Saad they’re the team he’s worth joining for at least the rest of this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Saad had a two-year stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets beginning in 2015. In both those seasons, he scored 53 points. The Pittsburgh native scored 31 goals in his first year and followed up with a 24-goal season.

These were the best years of Saad’s career for scoring and his plus-minus rating, ending the 2016-17 campaign with a plus-23.

Columbus is currently in contention for a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, sitting in the second spot. They’ve exceeded expectations this season and could use some extra scoring on this run to the…