Brandon Saad sacrifices north of $5M in salary with latest move!

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Blues placed veteran forward Brandon Saad on waivers Tuesday with the intent of sending him to the minors. On Wednesday at the deadline, he cleared and faced the imminent move to the AHL, where he hadn’t played since 2011.

That’s when he decided, per insiders Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston, that he and the Blues would mutually terminate his contract. Saad has another year left on his deal at a salary cap hit of $4.5 million, but prefers to become a free agent with the chance at a fresh start.

The Blues are also clear of the contract, opening cap space in St. Louis.

But as Johnston’s points out thanks to Puck Pedia, Saad will sacrifice north of $5M in salary with the move.

Saad has been held without a goal in 40 of his 43 games this season. He has a total of 16 points on seven goals and nine assists and there is a sense that St. Louis is looking to make room for upcoming moves ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. The Western Conference playoff race is tight and the Blues want to make consequent moves to clinch the second and final wild-card spot.

Saad is in his fourth season with the Blues. During the prime of his career, he helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup twice: in 2013 and 2015.

He will therefore become a free agent upon contract termination and could play this season if he gets signed by another club ahead of March 7.