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NHL Trade: Blackhawks trade Brandon Saad to Blue Jackets

By Josh Hill

Jun 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad (20) during the first period at game five of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad (20) during the first period at game five of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Blackhawks have begun to tear apart their Stanley Cup roster by trading away young star Brandon Saad.

When the Chicago Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years, they knew the good times wouldn’t last. That doesn’t mean they won’t return to the Cup next year, but it meant that the team was going to have to make some tough decisions when it came to who would stay and who would go.

As it turns out, one of their young stars on the rise is on his way out of town as art of the post-Stanley Cup purge.

According to multiple reports, the Blackhawks have begun the demolition of their Stanley Cup winning roster int he most surprising and shocking of ways — by trading Brandon Saad.

This is a huge trade, as many believed the Blackhawks were going to shed payers like Patrick Sharp and other veterans to allow for space that Saad would occupy.

Those moves still might happen, but the shock involved here is in the Blackhawks moving a young star who looked like he might be a massive part of the future next to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. There are big names that need new money and fatter contracts this summer though, and Saad is expendable because of that.

For what it’s worth, Saad was one of those big names who needed a new deal this summer, as he’s a restricted free agent and someone that the Blue Jackets will now need to fight to keep around in order to not have this trade be a wash.

It’s a controversial move among Blackhawks fans, and only time will tell if this is a move that will help return the Hawks to the Stanley Cup next season.

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