St. Louis Blues' Brandon Saad To Become Free Agent

It was reported that the St. Louis Blues and Brandon Saad are working on a mutual contract termination so that the veteran can play in the NHL again.

Saad is sacrificing over $5 million in salary to have an opportunity to sign with another team this season and continue playing in the NHL. Elliotte Friedman reported that both the player and team thought this gave Saad the best chance to play in the NHL this season as his contract with a cap hit of $4.5 million AAV this season and next was too big for a team to be willing to take on or the Blues weren't willing to pay.

Hearing Brandon Saad and the St. Louis Blues are working on a mutually-agreed contract termination
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 29, 2025

Saad will likely sign with a contender that needs some depth scoring. He has been a great and consistent secondary scoring option throughout his career with seven 20 goal seasons. The veteran also has two Stanley Cups and lots of playoff experience to go along with that. The Blues are in the playoff hunt, but this frees them up to either play some younger players or go out and grab someone who fits in better with how the team is now.

Saad just passed through waivers on Jan. 29, but will be placed on waivers again on Jan. 30 to terminate his contract. This means that the following day, given that he clears, he will be a free agent and able to sign with another team before February. I don't suspect he will be a free agent for very long even though he has seven goals and 16 points this season. He is still an NHL player and can make an impact. It will be interesting to see who shows interest and which team he signs with.