The Toronto Maple Leafs have a perfect chance to reunite Craig Berube with a former player and add a veteran winner who can make an impact.
It’s clear Brad Treliving wants to add a piece to his third-line in order to add some two-way versatility while not needing to sell the farm in order to do so.
There are several options available that could command anywhere from a top prospect to a low-draft pick and if Toronto wanted the best bang for the buck, they should call up the Blues.
Brandon Saad Reunites With Craig Berube
Saad, a 14-year veteran who was a mainstay during the Blackhawks dynasty in the 2010s would provide Toronto with a solid third-line winger and allow their better players to move up in the lineup.
Formerly playing under Craig Berube while he was coach of the Blues, Saad’s familiarity with the coach’s system and what he expects of his players would ease his transition.
Having a down year with the Blues, he has 10 points in 27 games but for his career has 509 points in 890 games and enjoyed his best season in 2015-16 where he had 31 goals and 53 points.
Saad is also a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Chicago and provides Toronto with great playoff numbers having 55 points in 103 games.
The Maple Leafs need help on the left hand side and Saad would alleviate those issues without needing to bring in a center and move John Tavares as some have speculated.
Having been a healthy scratch on Saturday night, as well as his name being dangled in trade rumors and with St. Louis wanting to accelerate a rebuild, getting rid of the veteran Saad would solve some issues.
The only issue Toronto might run into is due to his salary cap hit, as he comes in at $4.5M and has one more season after this year. Toronto could dangle Nick Robertson and ask for some salary retention given his struggles, but there’s no guarantees.
Saad is a proven winner with the credentials to help the Maple Leafs at a reasonable price. Brad Treliving needs to make a move and this one could be under the radar but bring a huge impact.
