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Brandon Saad

#20 · Left wing · Free agent, last with the Vegas Golden Knights

Born Oct 27, 1992 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA · 6'1", 207 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 43rd overall in 2011 by CHI (round 2)

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Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2019-20. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Adam Gaudette VAN · 33 P in 59 GP Roope Hintz DAL · 33 P in 60 GP Joonas Donskoi COL · 33 P in 65 GP Brett Connolly FLA · 33 P in 69 GP Kevin Labanc SJS · 33 P in 70 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

020402011-12: 0 points011-122012-13: 27 points272013-14: 47 points4713-142014-15: 52 points522015-16: 53 points5315-162016-17: 53 points532017-18: 35 points3517-182018-19: 47 points472019-20: 33 points3319-202020-21: 24 points242021-22: 49 points4921-222022-23: 37 points372023-24: 42 points4223-242024-25: 30 points302025-26: 9 points925-26

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2011-12 CHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 $795K
2012-13 CHI 46 10 17 27 17 12 98 41 0.59 $764K
2013-14 CHI 78 19 28 47 20 20 159 48 0.60 $764K
2014-15 CHI 82 23 29 52 7 12 203 53 0.63 $764K
2015-16 CBJ 78 31 22 53 1 14 233 43 0.68 $6M
2016-17 CBJ 82 24 29 53 23 8 210 24 0.65 $6M
2017-18 CHI 82 18 17 35 -10 14 237 29 0.43 $6M
2018-19 CHI 80 23 24 47 -9 12 195 52 0.59 $6M
2019-20 CHI 58 21 12 33 2 16 140 36 0.57 $6M
2020-21 COL 44 15 9 24 1 12 68 16 0.55 $6M
2021-22 STL 78 24 25 49 11 10 158 20 0.63 $4.5M
2022-23 STL 71 19 18 37 -8 12 127 24 0.52 $4.5M
2023-24 STL 82 26 16 42 -4 20 144 17 0.51 $4.5M
2024-25 STL 43 7 9 16 -14 6 75 7 0.37 $1.5M
2024-25 VGK 29 6 8 14 6 0 52 5 0.48
2025-26 VGK 49 3 6 9 -7 14 78 11 0.18 $2M
15 seasons Career 984 269 269 538 36 182 2180 426 0.55

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2011-12 CHI 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 4 0.50
2012-13 CHI 23 1 5 6 -1 4 50 30 0.26
2013-14 CHI 19 6 10 16 10 6 35 24 0.84
2014-15 CHI 23 8 3 11 5 6 59 46 0.48
2016-17 CBJ 5 1 2 3 -5 0 10 6 0.60
2019-20 CHI 9 2 3 5 2 2 20 8 0.56
2020-21 COL 10 7 1 8 3 12 19 15 0.80
2021-22 STL 12 2 3 5 1 4 23 6 0.42
2024-25 VGK 8 0 2 2 0 2 13 7 0.25
2025-26 VGK 5 0 2 2 0 0 5 3 0.40
10 seasons Playoffs 116 27 32 59 17 36 234 149 0.51

2019-20 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
58 21 12 33 2 16 140 36 0.57 15.0 16:45

Contract

$6MCap hitends in 2021, then UFA
$182KCap dollars per point33 points in 58 games
$1.095MCap dollars per goal above replacement5.5 goals above replacement
$5.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$758KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 668 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jul 3, 2015, as a new contract: 6 years and $36M, beginning in 2015-16. It runs through 2020-21, with 1 season left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2015-16 $6M $4M $0 $4M
2016-17 $6M $5.75M $0 $5.75M
2017-18 $6M $6.25M $0 $6.25M
2018-19 $6M $6.75M $0 $6.75M
2019-20 $6M $6.75M $0 $6.75M
2020-21 $6M $6.5M $0 $6.5M M-NTC

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2025-26 to 2025-26 $2M
Jan 31, 2025 Vegas Golden Knights New contract 2024-25 to 2024-25 1 $1.5M $1.5M
Jul 29, 2021 St. Louis Blues New contract 2021-22 to 2025-26 5 $22.5M $4.5M
Jul 3, 2015 Columbus Blue Jackets New contract 2015-16 to 2020-21 6 $36M $6M
Oct 5, 2011 Chicago Blackhawks Entry-level 2012-13 to 2014-15 signed for 2011-12, slid 3 $2.775M $764K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2019-20 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2019-20 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

-0.1Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.5Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+0.5Even-strength defence-0.3Power play-0.2Penalty kill-0.4Penalties-0.1

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-50510152011-122013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

47.4Corsi for %102 attempts for, 113 against
+7.0CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.0Expected goals for %5.2 expected for, 6.1 against
+11.7xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
43.9Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
58.3Goals for %7 for, 5 against
105.0PDO13.0% shooting + 92.1% saves
20Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Jonathan Toews · Brandon Saad · Dominik Kubalik973:5447.343.96-4
Brandon Saad · Dylan Strome · Alex DeBrincat719:2955.357.91-1
Jonathan Toews · Patrick Kane · Brandon Saad31:490.00.00-0
Jonathan Toews · Brandon Saad · Alex DeBrincat21:160.00.00-0

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

2Goalsnot counting empty-netters
1.7Expected goalsfrom 22 unblocked attempts
+0.3Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.70 expected goals per 60 minutes42nd
Shot quality 7.9% chance per attempt45th
Finishing +0.3 goals above expected66thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 106 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.511.52Goals 2Expected 1.7

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Mar 11, 2020 vs SJS W 6-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 14:39
Mar 8, 2020 vs STL L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 20:10
Mar 6, 2020 @ DET L 1-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 18:15
Mar 5, 2020 vs EDM W 4-3 0 0 0 -2 0 4 2 17:59
Mar 3, 2020 vs ANA W 6-2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 14:46
Feb 29, 2020 @ FLA W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:44
Feb 27, 2020 @ TBL W 5-2 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 16:15
Feb 25, 2020 @ STL L 5-6 1 0 1 -1 0 6 0 19:00
Feb 23, 2020 @ DAL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 14:41
Feb 21, 2020 vs NSH W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 16:02
Feb 19, 2020 vs NYR L 3-6 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 18:13
Feb 16, 2020 @ WPG L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 18:32
Feb 15, 2020 @ CGY W 8-4 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 19:43
Feb 12, 2020 @ VAN L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 18:12
Feb 11, 2020 @ EDM L 3-5 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 21:02
Feb 9, 2020 @ WPG L 2-5 1 0 1 -1 0 1 0 16:55
Feb 5, 2020 vs BOS L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 16:18
Feb 4, 2020 @ MIN L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 15:20
Feb 1, 2020 @ ARI W 3-2 (SO) 2 0 2 2 0 5 1 18:21
Jan 21, 2020 vs FLA L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 5 1 15:57
Jan 19, 2020 vs WPG W 5-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 14:40
Jan 18, 2020 @ TOR W 6-2 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 17:08
Dec 19, 2019 @ WPG W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 08:16
Dec 18, 2019 vs COL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 2 1 1 15:05
Dec 15, 2019 vs MIN W 5-3 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 16:25
Dec 14, 2019 @ STL L 3-4 2 0 2 0 0 3 0 15:34
Dec 12, 2019 @ ARI L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17:58
Dec 10, 2019 @ VGK L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 2 4 1 17:52
Dec 8, 2019 vs ARI L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 17:45
Dec 6, 2019 @ NJD W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:12
Dec 5, 2019 @ BOS W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 16:11
Dec 2, 2019 vs STL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 18:57
Nov 30, 2019 @ COL L 3-7 1 0 1 -1 0 3 0 15:56
Nov 29, 2019 vs COL L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 6 1 15:55
Nov 26, 2019 vs DAL W 3-0 1 0 1 2 0 4 1 14:37
Nov 23, 2019 @ DAL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17:45
Nov 21, 2019 vs TBL L 2-4 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 17:21
Nov 19, 2019 vs CAR L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 17:35
Nov 17, 2019 vs BUF W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 19:17
Nov 16, 2019 @ NSH W 7-2 0 2 2 3 2 0 0 14:37
Nov 13, 2019 @ VGK W 5-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 15:39
Nov 10, 2019 vs TOR W 5-4 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 19:05
Nov 9, 2019 @ PIT L 2-3 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 19:53
Nov 7, 2019 vs VAN W 5-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 16:42
Nov 5, 2019 @ SJS L 2-4 1 0 1 -1 2 3 1 15:42
Nov 3, 2019 @ ANA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17:12
Nov 2, 2019 @ LAK L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 18:57
Oct 29, 2019 @ NSH L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 16:42
Oct 27, 2019 vs LAK W 5-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:02
Oct 26, 2019 @ CAR L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 15:58
Oct 24, 2019 vs PHI L 1-4 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 15:24
Oct 22, 2019 vs VGK L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 17:34
Oct 20, 2019 vs WSH L 3-5 0 1 1 0 0 5 1 15:37
Oct 18, 2019 vs CBJ W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 14:56
Oct 14, 2019 vs EDM W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 16:04
Oct 12, 2019 vs WPG L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 16:06
Oct 10, 2019 vs SJS L 4-5 0 1 1 -1 0 4 1 12:53
Oct 4, 2019 @ PHI L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 12:45