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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 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Tyler Johnson TBL · 47 P in 80 GP Clayton Keller ARI · 47 P in 82 GP Jakub Vrana WSH · 47 P in 82 GP Josh Anderson CBJ · 47 P in 82 GP Mikael Backlund CGY · 47 P in 77 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

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
80 23 24 47 -9 12 195 52 0.59 11.8 17:41

Contract

$6MCap hitends in 2021, then UFA
$128KCap dollars per point47 points in 80 games
$1.061MCap dollars per goal above replacement5.7 goals above replacement
$4.5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$1.5MValueworth 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 696 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 2 seasons 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 2018-19 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.

2018-19 analytics

Rating

+5.7Goals above replacement170th of 699 skaters, 125th of 455 forwards
+0.9Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+1.7Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 455 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+2.8 79th percentileEven-strength defence-2.3 12th percentilePower play-0.6 18th percentilePenalty kill-0.3 12th percentilePenalties+2.1 93rd percentile

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, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. 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

52.7Corsi for %1154 attempts for, 1036 against
+4.9CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
47.5Expected goals for %48.1 expected for, 53.0 against
+2.4xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
51.2Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
47.5Goals for %48 for, 53 against
98.8PDO7.5% shooting + 91.3% saves
243Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Jonathan Toews · Brandon Saad · Dominik Kahun19160:5750.247.17-3
Jonathan Toews · Patrick Kane · Brandon Saad44115:3553.547.87-7
Artem Anisimov · Brandon Saad · Dominik Kahun2995:1855.852.13-3
Artem Anisimov · Brandon Saad · Dylan Sikura1492:3059.154.05-5

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.

21Goalsnot counting empty-netters
22.5Expected goalsfrom 257 unblocked attempts
-1.5Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.95 expected goals per 60 minutes79th
Shot quality 8.8% chance per attempt76th
Finishing -1.5 goals above expected39thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 426 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

05101520Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Expected 22.5Goals 21

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 this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 6, 2019 @ NSH L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 19:18
Apr 5, 2019 vs DAL W 6-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 15:20
Apr 3, 2019 vs STL W 4-3 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 17:42
Apr 1, 2019 vs WPG L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -3 0 2 1 15:36
Mar 30, 2019 @ LAK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 18:51
Mar 28, 2019 @ SJS W 5-4 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 18:11
Mar 26, 2019 @ ARI L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 18:41
Mar 24, 2019 vs COL W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 3 17:48
Mar 23, 2019 @ COL L 2-4 0 1 1 0 4 2 2 21:16
Mar 21, 2019 vs PHI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 16:31
Mar 18, 2019 vs VAN L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:37
Mar 16, 2019 @ MTL W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:30
Mar 13, 2019 @ TOR W 5-4 1 1 2 1 0 3 2 16:30
Mar 11, 2019 vs ARI W 7-1 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 18:53
Mar 9, 2019 @ DAL W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 17:37
Mar 7, 2019 vs BUF W 5-4 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 5 3 20:58
Mar 3, 2019 @ SJS L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 20:24
Mar 2, 2019 @ LAK L 3-6 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 20:27
Feb 27, 2019 @ ANA W 4-3 0 1 1 2 0 3 0 22:04
Feb 24, 2019 vs DAL L 3-4 0 0 0 -2 0 5 1 17:16
Feb 22, 2019 vs COL L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 16:24
Feb 20, 2019 @ DET W 5-4 (OT) 1 0 1 3 0 2 1 21:28
Feb 18, 2019 vs OTT W 8-7 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 15:21
Feb 16, 2019 vs CBJ L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 5 0 15:24
Feb 14, 2019 vs NJD W 5-2 1 1 2 3 0 3 1 15:28
Feb 12, 2019 @ BOS L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 16:43
Feb 10, 2019 vs DET W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 15:58
Feb 7, 2019 vs VAN W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 1 1 17:58
Feb 5, 2019 @ EDM W 6-2 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 17:26
Feb 2, 2019 @ MIN W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 15:59
Feb 1, 2019 @ BUF W 7-3 2 0 2 2 0 3 0 15:16
Jan 22, 2019 vs NYI W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:35
Jan 20, 2019 vs WSH W 8-5 1 0 1 -2 0 1 0 17:32
Jan 17, 2019 @ NYR L 3-4 1 0 1 -2 0 2 1 17:22
Jan 14, 2019 @ NJD L 5-8 1 0 1 -1 0 3 1 15:40
Jan 12, 2019 vs VGK L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 2 4 15:57
Jan 9, 2019 vs NSH L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 14:55
Jan 7, 2019 vs CGY L 3-4 1 0 1 -2 0 5 1 19:45
Jan 6, 2019 @ PIT W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 16:57
Jan 3, 2019 @ NYI L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 18:01
Jan 1, 2019 vs BOS L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 17:14
Dec 29, 2018 @ COL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 16:26
Dec 27, 2018 vs MIN W 5-2 2 0 2 2 0 4 0 16:38
Dec 23, 2018 vs FLA L 3-6 0 0 0 -2 2 3 0 18:32
Dec 21, 2018 @ COL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19:30
Dec 20, 2018 @ DAL W 5-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 17:31
Dec 18, 2018 vs NSH W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 17:30
Dec 16, 2018 vs SJS L 3-7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:40
Dec 14, 2018 vs WPG L 3-4 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 3 1 16:07
Dec 12, 2018 vs PIT W 6-3 1 1 2 3 0 3 1 18:01
Dec 11, 2018 @ WPG L 3-6 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 19:33
Dec 9, 2018 vs MTL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 19:41
Dec 6, 2018 @ VGK L 3-4 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 17:45
Dec 5, 2018 @ ANA L 2-4 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 20:53
Dec 2, 2018 vs CGY L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 18:31
Dec 1, 2018 @ NSH L 2-5 1 0 1 -2 0 5 0 17:55
Nov 29, 2018 @ WPG L 5-6 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 20:36
Nov 27, 2018 vs VGK L 3-8 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 16:49
Nov 24, 2018 @ FLA W 5-4 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 21:26
Nov 23, 2018 @ TBL L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 20:05
Nov 21, 2018 @ WSH L 2-4 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 22:33
Nov 18, 2018 vs MIN W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 17:31
Nov 16, 2018 vs LAK L 1-2 (SO) 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 18:36
Nov 14, 2018 vs STL W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 14:51
Nov 8, 2018 vs CAR L 3-4 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 14:43
Nov 3, 2018 @ CGY L 3-5 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 19:14
Nov 1, 2018 @ EDM L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 18:55
Oct 31, 2018 @ VAN L 2-4 1 0 1 0 0 5 1 18:59
Oct 28, 2018 vs EDM L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:42
Oct 27, 2018 @ STL L 3-7 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 19:03
Oct 25, 2018 vs NYR W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 18:17
Oct 23, 2018 vs ANA W 3-1 2 0 2 2 0 7 0 18:56
Oct 21, 2018 vs TBL L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 12:18
Oct 20, 2018 @ CBJ W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 13:48
Oct 18, 2018 vs ARI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:23
Oct 13, 2018 vs STL W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 10:14
Oct 11, 2018 @ MIN L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 19:20
Oct 7, 2018 vs TOR L 6-7 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 17:56
Oct 6, 2018 @ STL W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 20:21
Oct 4, 2018 @ OTT W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 17:23