NHL Insider Reveals why Brandon Saad Chose to Sign with the Golden Knights Instead of Three Time Cup Champion
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed in his 32 thoughts today why Brandon Saad chose to sign with the Golden Knights after his contract was terminated.
Last month, the St. Louis Blues made a shocking announcement when they revealed that two-time Stanley Cup champion Brandon Saad was being placed on waivers to have his contract terminated.
As it turns out, it was a mutual move designed to give the Blues some cap relief while giving Saad a chance to sign with another team in free agency.
The next day, after Saad cleared waivers, he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas is certainly high on the list of contenders this season after winning it all in 2023.
Friedman revealed that the other team that was pushing for Saad was the Tampa Bay Lightning, but apparently Saad believes that their time in the spotlight is over and Vegas is the new powerhouse.
"He made it very clear. I heard two teams and he was only going somewhere to where he thought he could win a Stanley Cup this year. They told me that they thought Tampa Bay made a really hard pitch. But if you were to rank all those teams that were interested in him, like Tampa Bay, as we wake up on Monday morning, they're not in the playoff spots.
Vegas is a Stanley Cup contender. Like, Vegas isn't playing really well right now, and you can tell Bruce Cassidy is getting pretty close to blowing a stack, if he hasn't done already. But they're a really good team...if you're picking a team to go to win a cup, Vegas is going to be on your list."
The Golden Knights are just 2-5-3 over their last ten games, but they maintain their spot in second place in the Pacific Division with 68 points in 53 games.
They are behind the Oilers by points percentage as Edmonton has 68 points through 52 games played.
The Knights are 0-1 since signing Saad as the team dropped their first game with the former Blue 4-2 to the New York Rangers.
Saad will look for his first point and his first win with his new team tomorrow when they visit the New York Islanders.
POLL |
FEVRIER 3 | 211 ANSWERS NHL Insider Reveals why Brandon Saad Chose to Sign with the Golden Knights Instead of Three Time Cup Champion How far do you think the Vegas Golden Knights will go in the playoffs this year? |
1st round exit | 53 | 25.1 % |
2nd round exit | 104 | 49.3 % |
Conference finals | 36 | 17.1 % |
Stanley Cup Finals | 18 | 8.5 % |
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