Confirmed with Link: Blues sign Brandon Saad

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

#stlblues announce 5-year, $22.5 million deal for Saad ($4.5 million AAV

Click to read more...

 

[BlueDream]

And everything is fine again.

Now we either just re-sign Bozak or another 3rd liner, or trade Tarasenko for someone to fill out the lines IMO.

 

[Xanadude]

That is a very reasonable contract for what Saad provides. I like this a lot and think he'll slot in great next to ROR and Perron, giving that line some sought-after stability.

 

[542365]

Love it. I think he’s a better fit than Hoffman. Does an adequate job replacing Schwartz.

 

[Chojin]

Welp...

Hate the term, but at least the price is right.

 

[542365]

Welp...

Hate the term, but at least the price is right.

It’s free agency. You don’t sign guys to reasonable length and AAV unless they are replacement level. I’d rather have the better AAV at a longer term on a guy who is only 28.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Was scared the AAV was going to be over $5mil. I think it's a solid contract

 

[Blanick]

Welp...

Hate the term, but at least the price is right.

Couldn't agree more. If this was for 3 years I would be ecstatic with the signing but I guess making a 5 year deal is what kept the AAV low. The good news is if he does start to decline towards the end of the deal he is ideal player to slide down the lineup for a checking role, similar to Steen.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Welp...

Hate the term, but at least the price is right.

Agreed.

I’m lukewarm on this deal. I think Saad is overrated and he isn’t that good defensively. But the price makes the contract moveable in case Saad doesn't fit the system. I don’t love it, but I’m not going to complain.

 

[BlueDream]

I don’t understand people that are worried about a decline. The contract takes him to age 33, which is what Perron currently is.

We aren’t signing him until he’s really old. I don’t expect a sharp decline, and as stated above, his game is well rounded enough to still be able to contribute.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I don’t understand people that are worried about a decline. The contract takes him to age 33, which is what Perron currently is.

We aren’t signing him until he’s really old. I don’t expect a sharp decline, and as stated above, his game is well rounded enough to still be able to contribute.

And even then, I'd expect him to be like Bozak or Steen, where he'll still perform a role well, even if overpaid. As long as we manage cap well in those later years, it won't be an issue.

 

[GoBluz24]

I like the fact he adds a little more speed to the lineup.

 

[tfriede2]

Can’t complain one bit about this contract. Great AAV, and takes him to just 33.

 

[Majorityof1]

Not a bad contract. I like Schwartz for the extra $1M better. But it is a fine addition to a guy who can slot 3rd to 1st line adequately wherever he finds the right chemistry. We really need to move Tarasenko now or we won't be able to afford raises coming to Parayko and Perron.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

I love it, Saad had a great season with the Avs. So what are the lines looking like now?

 

[Brian39]

I'm pretty damn happy with this. Given the asinine deals handed out yesterday, I would have guessed that he would have demanded 6 years to get the AAV below 5. I'll take Saad at $4.5M for 5 years over Schwartzy at $5.5M for the same amount of time. And I say that as a big Schwartz fan.

Perron-ROR-Buch
Saad-Schenn-Kyrou
Sanford-Thomas-Tarasenko
Clifford-Barby-Kostin

Flip around Sanford/Kostin if you want and plug Sunny in when he gets healthy. That is a forward group that looks pretty damn good. We aren't contenders with that group given the blueline, but my plan would be to spend the next 6 months trying to turn Tarasneko into LD help and bank on Kostin being ready to play on the 3rd line when it happens.

Good day.

 

[Clayonator]

He’s a good fit there.

 

[cardinalnation]

Well the contract looks pretty good to me I’m just not sold on the player. Saad is a good player and will probably fit our system really well so I will probably end up regretting this but he is just not the high impact guy that I think this team still needs.

 

[Zachary Hines]

Assume we trade Vladi.

Perron-ROR-Buch
Schenn-Thoms-Kyrou
Saad-Barby-Kostin
Sanford-Sunny-Bozak

 

[The Note]

Well the contract looks pretty good to me I’m just not sold on the player. Saad is a good player and will probably fit our system really well so I will probably end up regretting this but he is just not the high impact guy that I think this team still needs.

He’s not, but he’s pretty firmly a second line winger who can help offset the loss of Schwartz. Short of trading for someone like Marner/Eichel/Tkachuk the Blues were never going to be able to add a high impact forward anyway. For the AAV it’s a perfectly fine signing.

The defense is still very underwhelming, though.

 

[Oberyn]

It's a reasonable contract, I'm pretty happy with it. Looks like Armstrong played the patient game during day 1 of UFA and still came out with a good player at a good price. I would still like to see another depth signing for our bottom six.

 

[Majorityof1]

I'm pretty damn happy with this. Given the asinine deals handed out yesterday, I would have guessed that he would have demanded 6 years to get the AAV below 5. I'll take Saad at $4.5M for 5 years over Schwartzy at $5.5M for the same amount of time. And I say that as a big Schwartz fan.

Perron-ROR-Buch
Saad-Schenn-Kyrou
Sanford-Thomas-Tarasenko
Clifford-Barby-Kostin

Flip around Sanford/Kostin if you want and plug Sunny in when he gets healthy. That is a forward group that looks pretty damn good. We aren't contenders with that group given the blueline, but my plan would be to spend the next 6 months trying to turn Tarasneko into LD help and bank on Kostin being ready to play on the 3rd line when it happens.

Good day.

You really like Saad at $4.5 over Schwartz @ $5.5? Is it injuries or consistency? I can buy those arguments. Or do you just value cap that much? Schwartz is better point producer, better defensively, better on the cycle and winning puck battles. Schwartz is .1 ppg better over his career. Plus, barring some unknown drama, you got to think Schwartz would give us some hometown discount over an expansion team. It would probably end up less than $1M over Saad.

 

[bleedblue1223]

You really like Saad at $4.5 over Schwartz @ $5.5? Is it injuries or consistency? I can buy those arguments. Or do you just value cap that much? Schwartz is better point producer, better defensively, better on the cycle and winning puck battles. Schwartz is .1 ppg better over his career. Plus, barring some unknown drama, you got to think Schwartz would give us some hometown discount over an expansion team. It would probably end up less than $1M over Saad.

Career wise, Schwartz is better, but his recent production is too up and down to rely on for a long-term deal IMO.

 

[ort]

Ewwww... he's got that Blackhawks stink all over him....

I mean, I think he's a good player and I'm okay with this, but I'll always associate him with the Hawks. Always.

 

[WeWentBlues]

You really like Saad at $4.5 over Schwartz @ $5.5? Is it injuries or consistency? I can buy those arguments. Or do you just value cap that much? Schwartz is better point producer, better defensively, better on the cycle and winning puck battles. Schwartz is .1 ppg better over his career. Plus, barring some unknown drama, you got to think Schwartz would give us some hometown discount over an expansion team. It would probably end up less than $1M over Saad.

I don't know if Schwartz would have signed here, given an identical offer from the Blues. Sounds crazy to say but I get the impression he really wanted to sign in Seattle.