ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues have reached an agreement with forward Brandon Saad to mutually terminate the remainder of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent. This decision enables Saad to sign with any other team in the NHL.
On Thursday, the Blues announced that they would place Saad on unconditional waivers. He had already cleared regular waivers on Wednesday, remaining unclaimed by any of the other 31 teams in the league. Taking on Saad’s current deal would have resulted in a hit of $4.5 million against the salary cap for any interested team through the next season.
This season, Saad has struggled offensively, going without a goal in 40 of the 43 games played and accumulating just 16 points. According to data from PuckPedia, he is indeed passing up approximately $5.4 million by opting for free agency instead of reporting to the minors.
Initially, the Blues intended to send the 32-year-old player to Springfield in the American Hockey League if he passed through waivers. General Manager Doug Armstrong indicated that he had attempted to trade Saad before placing him on waivers.
“Clearly, the production hasn’t been there,” Armstrong acknowledged. “Currently, we are tight against the cap and, based on his statistics, it hasn’t been a great year for him, especially with another year left on the deal. If we could have found a suitable exchange, we would have.”
In his comments, Armstrong noted that he hopes to see more of younger forward Alexandre Texier, which contributed to the decision to waive Saad.
As the Blues stand on the fringe of the Western Conference playoff race, they are currently five points from the second and final wild-card position. Armstrong has already made significant changes to the coaching staff, having replaced Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery just 22 games into the season.
The team has a record of 14-12-3 under Montgomery’s leadership. Balancing the aim for immediate success with a vision for the future is challenging, and Armstrong has raised concerns regarding the team’s performance.
“I’m unsure why our home record is below .500,” he said. “We had an opportunity with a three-game homestand to seize the moment, but it didn’t happen. My responsibility is to observe and determine what actions are necessary for progress. Part of this retooling process involves assessing both the strengths and weaknesses in various aspects of our group.”
Saad is now in his fourth year with the Blues. He enjoyed considerable success during his prime, contributing to the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victories in 2013 and 2015.
The decision to terminate his contract follows the recent trade of defenseman Scott Perunovich to the New York Islanders in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2026.
“I spoke with the coach over the last little while, and he didn’t envision a future for Saad in our lineup,” Armstrong explained. “So when the opportunity arose for Saad to play with the Islanders, which they showed interest in, it made sense for us to enable him to pursue that chance, and we wish him all the best.”
