Report: Brandon Saad Turned Down 3 Teams To Choose Golden Knights

It was another coup by the Vegas Golden Knights to sign Brandon Saad after he terminated his contract with the St. Louis Blues and became an unrestricted free agent. Saad, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, was looking to find his best shot at winning a third.

According to insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Saad turned down three other teams that were hot in pursuit of signing the 32-year-old.

The Devils, Senators and Maple Leafs also were among those who went hard for Brandon Saad, as did Tampa Bay. Can’t fault Saad for picking Vegas, despite the team's current struggles.

The New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs, each of whom are desperately looking for some depth in their forward ranks, both like to see themselves as Cup contenders, but Saad obviously had more confidence in the Golden Knights returning to the winner's circle, where they resided just two short years ago.

The Devils are three-time Cup champions, but the last one was 22 years ago.

As for the Leafs... Well, let's not get into their Stanley Cup history, for the sake of Toronto fans.

The Ottawa Senators, who were also chasing Saad, are actually poised to potentially make the playoffs for the first time in eight years, but can't be considered a serious Cup contender at this point.

Saad is already off and running with the Golden Knights, scoring his first goal with the team in just his second game.

BRANDON SAAD! 🤩

He's got his first goal with the @GoldenKnights! pic.twitter.com/FpUZrFSulZ
— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2025

He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Vegas, after leaving the rest of his $4.5 million contract on the table in leaving St. Louis.

“I think, for me, just being able to go to a contender and a chance to win another Cup (was exciting),” Saad said. “I’ve played against Vegas for a lot of years. They have tremendous talent, depth, good coaching, a great city. They kind of got it all. For me, I’m excited to be a part of that culture.”