Blackhawks' Brandon Saad won't negotiate new deal until end of season
Brandon Saad wants to bring his full body of work with him to the bargaining table.
Playing in the final season of his entry-level deal, the Chicago Blackhawks forward will play out the year before negotiating a long-term deal in restricted free agency this summer
"We feel we’ll wait until the season is over," Saad's agent told ESPN's Craig Custance. "Let’s let the season pass and try and sit down and get something done."
Chicago has a penchant for recycling top-end players, but don't expect Saad to join the long-list of talented players who have been pinched out after winning a championship.
"We haven’t gotten anything done there, but he’s a big part of where we’re going,” Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said. "He just turned 22 and he’s already won a Cup with us, and he’s sort of emerging as the next mainline player for us. We’ll figure that one out."
With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane's eight-figure deals kicking in next season, the Blackhawks will have to get creative to fit Saad, who is sure to a command a significant raise, underneath the cap.
Saad has three goals and 14 points through 21 games this season after setting career highs with 19 goals and 47 points last year.