Chicago Blackhawks: Brandon Saad most likely to be traded in 2020
As great as Brandon Saad has been for the Chicago Blackhawks, a potential cap crunch could force him out of Chicago via trade.
This offseason is going to be mighty interesting for the NHL. Teams have been operating under the assumption that the salary cap ceiling will be around $84 million for the 2020-21 season. However, the novel coronavirus pandemic has altered the league’s plans, as lost revenue will most likely lower those projections. This could force the Chicago Blackhawks to part ways with Brandon Saad.
Saad has one year left on his contract with a $6 million cap hit and is due $6.5 million in salary next season. The Blackhawks have several key free agents to re-sign this offseason, including Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik. On top of that, if they don’t re-sign Corey Crawford, they’ll need to find a new goalie.
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Currently, CapFriendly projects the Blackhawks to have $9,853,205 of cap space, but that’s assuming the cap ceiling is at $84 million. However, if the cap ceiling remains stagnant at $81.5 million, this will leave the Blackhawks with under $7.5 million of cap space. They’ll have even less if the cap ceiling decreases.
It seems inevitable that the Blackhawks will have to choose between Saad and Strome. They probably can’t afford to keep both long-term. Obviously, Kubalik is getting re-signed after his outstanding rookie season, during which he leads all rookies in goals with 30 and is third in points 46. He also leads all rookie forwards in points. So he’s staying.
That leaves Strome and Saad. There’s an ever so slight chance they could keep both, but it would require them to be right up against the cap ceiling, leaving little to no margin for error. As great as Saad has been for the franchise, the choice is obvious. They need to hang on to Strome.
Now, it’s worth noting the Blackhawks have reportedly been listening to offers for Strome. Maybe someone blows them away with an offer. However, keep in mind the best time to trade him, under most circumstances, would be the draft. Except this year, the draft is probably being held in June, before the season or postseason plays out. That makes trading him at the draft impossible.
Another reason trading Saad makes sense is he might be the Blackhawks most valuable and realistic trade chip. He would fetch them at least a first-round pick and perhaps even a top prospect. Saad did a great job rebuilding his reputation as a productive two-way forward last season. He has playoff experience and has won two Stanley Cups.
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They say all good things must come to an end. That includes Saad’s second tenure with the Blackhawks unless something unforeseen occurs. If the NHL gives teams a compliance buyout, that would be a blessing for the Blackhawks because it would let them get Brent Seabrook‘s contract off the books. But sadly, that’s the only way they’re getting rid of him at this point.