Saad looks ready to cash in
Keeping scorer in lineup won’t come cheap
TAMPA, FLA. — It was sometime after Brandon Saad scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday that the talk around the United Center in Chicago turned toward his contract status.
The Blackhawks centre will be a restricted free agent on July 1 after earning $833,000 US this season. And judging by his playoff production and the lack of free agents available this summer, the 22-year-old will be in line for a significant raise this summer and might even become the subject of an offer sheet from a rival team.
It’s a problem for the capstrapped Blackhawks. What if someone offers $5 million US a year? Or $6 million US? The consensus opinion was that Chicago would surely match. They would almost have to.
Although he is a secondline centre that scored 23 goals and 52 points for the Blackhawks this season, he is also the playoff beast who has scored eight goals — including two so far in the final — through 21 games. On the Blackhawks’ ever-revolving roster, he has replaced David Bolland and Bryan Bickell on a team trying to win its third Stanley Cup in six years.
“He’s showing up to play right now,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “I’m not saying that he didn’t all year, but he’s definitely raising his game and showing that he’s not only a talented player, but he has all those other characteristics that you look for when you want to build a championship team.”
Said teammate Patrick Sharp: “It feels like when the stage gets bigger and the time of the game gets more critical, Saader is a guy you want out there on the ice, and he usually is going to make the right play for us.”
In other words, it might take $7 million US to pry Saad out of Chicago. Even then, management might think long and hard about matching the price.
Why? Performance at this time of year always seems to hold more importance than that of the regular season. The playoffs turned Mark Messier into the NHL’s greatest leader and convinced the hockey world that Justin Williams’s ability to score in Game 7s was more than just luck. This is when clutch and big-game performer are used to describe otherwise ordinary players.
It is when heroes are born and when the suckers emerge who are willing to overpay for a game-winning goal in June versus one in January.
In 2010, little-known Ville Leino scored seven goals and 21 points to help the Philadelphia Flyers reach the final. A year later, the Buffalo Sabres signed the free-agent forward to a six-year $27-million US contract, but then bought him out after he managed just 10 goals over the next three seasons.
After scoring nine goals and 17 points in the 2013 playoffs, Bickell also cashed in on a four-year, $16-million US contract. He had 14 goals this season and has none in the playoffs, although he has been an injury scratch of late.
While Saad had already been carving out the beginnings of a solid NHL career as a top-six power forward — he is tied with Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat for third among players selected in the 2011 draft with 126 points — he is reaching near-mythical status based on his playoff success.
These playoffs have also been eye-opening for Lightning players, from Victor Hedman to Palat being called a miniature version of Marian Hossa.
A greater appreciation is being given to Anton Stralman and Alex Killorn. Praise is being heaped on Ben Bishop for his goaltending skill and for being a warrior who will battle through injury for a win.
Steven Stamkos? He’s suddenly become one of the most respected leaders in the game.
As Washington Capitals defenceman Karl Alzner said during the second round when talking about how teammate Nicklas Backstrom was grossly underrated: This is the time when you make a name for yourself.
“I think (Anze) Kopitar was in the same boat as (Backstrom) for a while and then they make it to the finals and people start to notice him,” Alzner said. “Playoff success leads to individual success.”
Don’t be surprised if Hedman, who had been left off the Swedish Olympic team in 2014, joins Duncan Keith as a finalist for the Norris Trophy next season, or if Palat gets mentioned alongside Toews for the Selke Trophy.
And certainly don’t be surprised if Saad gets a paycheque based more on the goals that he scored in the playoffs than the ones he notched in the regular season.