The Edmonton Oilers were the expected from runners to sign free agent forward Brandon Saad, but according to new reports from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Oilers are not among the interested teams.
Saad was naturally linked to the Oilers due to the connection to General Manager Stan Bowman and hints from insider Bob Stauffer, but it appears Edmonton will not pursue the free agent.
Edmonton Oilers not among interested teams in signing Brandon Saad
According to Seravalli's new report, the interested teams in signing Brandon Saad are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, New Jersey Devils, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
When Brandon Saad was placed on waivers the first time, Bob Stauffer reported that he may have interest in signing with the Oilers.
Not everybody's wanted to come here. Well, now a lot of them want to come here, including the guy that was waived today.- Bob Stauffer
Given Seravalli's most recent report, it seems it's the Oilers organization that's turning down Brandon Saad.
The Oilers have been linked to acquiring a tough, versatile forward for their bottom six. Brandon Saad could've filled that role - 32 year old two-time cup champion has been a solid power forward and penalty killer in his career - but the Oilers won't be pursuing him.
This season Brandon Saad has only 7 goals and 16 points in 43 games - a far fall off from last year's 26 goals. At $4.5M in salary, the Blues were doing anything possible to get rid of him.
Whether it's because of the difficulty of fitting in another veteran player or the fact that Edmonton doesn't believe in Saad anymore is unknown, but it sounds like if the Oilers do add another forward this year, it won't be Brandon Saad.
