why not?

He's making $6M a season and has 28 points playing with Patrick Kane, isn't ideal

I care more about the goals, he's on pace for 30. I'd only want him with at least 2 mill retained. He would mesh well with barzal lMO

I'd take him on if it was 50% retained and they took a contract back like Hickey. He'd fit the system but I'm worried about the $$

The money I can see your concern, but you should want a player like Saad. He plays a 200ft game, plays PP and PK, he’s a top 9 winger who can play both sides and fit many roles. What he does throughout the game doesn’t show up on the scoresheet but he is a perennial 20 goal scorer and avg 0.5ppg. Even at $1.5M retained, Saad at $4.5M a year for this year and next would be good value for Isles. I think he’d fit with Trotz’s defensive system well.

And FYI he primarily plays with Toews but also at beginning of season he was on third line. More recently he’s been with Kane and scoring tons of goals.

If this trade is true, hopefully hawks can get prospect and first rounder to help them retool.

I’d do it tbh. He hasn’t been playing with Kane all year and his centers haven’t been amazing (Dach, Kampf). He’s got speed, he’s smart and plays defense pretty well. Definitely worth a first imo, but not much more.

A healthy Hickey could be an asset to the Hawks too

You don't expect him to improve on a better team? He's playing with Kane, but he's also playing with Ryan Carpenter. Is Barzal + Lee not a step up on Kane + Carpenter?



That's ridiculous and won't happen. If $ is a major concern, then it won't happen. No way in hell CHI gives you a 20-30 goal scorer at 3M per season AND takes back Hickey AND does it all for a measly late 1st round pick. Get real!

P.S. I'm not a CHI fan.

I don’t see this putting us into cup contention-pass on Saad for a first

Thats why this deal is 25% retained not 50%. 50% would be a different deal with more going to Chicago...

You and a few other people have put a pretty good sales pitch for Saad. I think if the isles managed to get him at 50% retained it would be great. Gives the isles another goal scorer and doesn't stop them from signing their pending RFAs

50% retained + taking Hickey contract...for that, I'd think Hawks would be ok asking Lou for another asset. 1st and prospect.

It's still just awful for CHI. Saad at 25% is worth 1st + quality prospect even without Hickey going the other way.

Not sure that trading away our 1st rounder is a good idea. Outside of Sorokin (who still might stay in Russia) and Dobson, do we really have anyone who looks like they could be a difference maker at the NHL level? I think Wahlstrom could, but he looked spotty in the NCAA last year and hasn't been all that good in the AHL. I think Wilde could be good eventually, but not any time soon. Outside Bolduc, who I think is a long term project, I don't think we have any good LHD prospects. And Holmstrom looks like he could be a middle six winger, but not for another three or four years. Bellows has looked okay so far, but I haven't seen anything that suggests he's Top 6 winter material.

Are we sure we want to move our 1st rounder for a big contract when we really don't have too much cap space and a good, albeit incomplete prospect pool?