After fans sat on tenterhooks through the opening of free agency waiting on Brandon Saad to sign a new deal, it’s time to sit back, relax, and start your holiday weekend off with a celebratory beverage.
This is no Jeff Carter redux, or Adam Foote fracas.
The club announced that Saad signed a 6 year contract extension that will carry him through the 2021-2022 season, with an AAV of $6 million reported by Hockey Night In Canada’s Elliotte Friedman.
That would make Saad the team’s highest paid forward for the next two years, when he will likely be eclipsed by Ryan Johansen’s next contract, but that’s not a bad deal at all for a first line winger who can do things like this:
Or this:
And, ok, sometimes this:
That’ll leave a mark.
But most importantly Columbus has shown that they’re serious about competing for the Stanley Cup in those next six years, and that they believe Saad will be helping them get there.
It’s an exciting time to be a Blue Jackets fan. There’s just one question you have to ask:
….is it October yet?