The Blue Jackets’ playoff roster ranges from players with mere games of NHL experience (Oliver Bjorkstrand, Gabriel Carlsson) to the 1,187 regular-season contests of Scott Hartnell.
But of those who will don the union blue in the postseason, only one has reached the holy grail of the sport: Having his name inscribed into the Stanley Cup.
That would be Brandon Saad, and he didn’t shy away from that reality when he was traded to the Blue Jackets before the 2015-16 season.
“I’m going to be fortunate to play with some great players and just trying to bring the atmosphere that I had with winning in Chicago and what I know and bring it to this team,” he said at his introductory press conference.
The acquisition – which came at a hefty price, for veteran center Artem Anisimov and first-round pick Marko Dano – was seen by many as Columbus pushing its chips to the center of the table. It was an aggressive move to acquire a budding star, one who had just scored 23 NHL goals at 22 years old and already had two Stanley Cup rings he could put on the table.
Of course, last year didn’t work out as planned. The first eight games of Saad’s Blue Jackets career were losses, setting up a disappointing campaign all the way around for Columbus along with a coaching change. But one of the positives was Saad, who set new career highs with 31 goals and 53 points.
This year, his career numbers have been under assault. Saad, who turned 24 in October, played in all 82 games, matching his career highs with 29 assists and 53 assists to go with his 24 goals. In addition, his plus-23 rating is a career high, and both his CF% (54.8) and FF% (55.1) at even strength are well above 50 percent.
More importantly, he’s helped the Blue Jackets back to the postseason for the third time in franchise history. For Saad, who played in the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his seasons in Chicago, this is what is supposed to happen come springtime.
“It’s a great time of the year,” he said recently. “That’s really what we all play for. The whole season is just getting ramped up for the playoffs, and now the second season – or the real season, you could say – starts. We’re all looking forward to that.”
Even as the Blue Jackets have struggled of late, Saad has tried to step up with his speed, power and accurate shot. He scored two goals in the loss vs. Winnipeg on April 6, banking the puck off the boards to himself and then scoring on a breakaway for the first goal that showcased all of his skill and hockey sense. Later, Saad banged in a rebound in the crease, the kind of place a player must go in the postseason to put goals on the board.
Afterward, head coach John Tortorella was excited with what he saw, especially given his team’s inability to score goals coming down the stretch.
“He skated,” Tortorella said. “He brought the puck to the net. I thought he didn’t play it safe offensively. I thought he took some risks with his play, made some good plays.”
For Saad, the chance to play the Penguins will also add to the excitement of the postseason. He grew up in Pittsburgh, attending Pine-Richland High School and playing for the Pittsburgh Hornets U-18 team before embarking on a hockey journey that took him to the U.S. National Team Development Program as well as the OHL before he made his Chicago debut.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of talks with family and friends already. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be a part of.”
And for all of his youth, Saad has as much playoff experience as just about anyone on the roster. He also has tried to serve as a voice for the team, including writing a Players Tribune article earlier this year about building Columbus as a hockey town.
Now, the chance to do just that with a playoff series beckons. Recent struggles aside, the Blue Jackets know that a new season begins now – none more than Saad.
“It’s all just noise,” Saad said of the recent concerns around the team. “We know when we get in the playoffs, it’s a fresh start. It’s a new opponent. You play a seven-game series. It’s a completely different scenario.”
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