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Brandon Saad a good investment for Blue Jackets |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
When the Blue Jackets parted with Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano and Jeremy Morin, among others, it signified that GM Jarmo Kekalainen was all-in on Brandon Saad.
That has proved to be the case as Kekalainen and Saad's representatives worked feverishly on a new contract before coming to terms on a six-year, $36 million deal.
Saad will carry a $6 million cap hit, which makes the 22-year-old winger the highest paid skater on the roster -- ahead of the likes of Ryan Johansen and Brandon Dubinsky, among others.
That's a significant investment to make in Saad but I think it is a good one. In today's NHL it's all about managing your cap and ensuring you get full value for every cent you spend.
This contract is a perfect example of that. Saad has recorded 47 and 52 points over the last two seasons as a 21 and 22-year-old.
There is no doubt Saad is already an excellent player and at 22 years of age he has yet to reach his full potential.
As a GM you want to pay for future performance and what a player will bring to the table for the duration of the contract. Paying a player for what he has done in the past doesn't always end well, as often times said player begins to decline early in the contract and continues on that trajectory the whole way through.
Saad is signed for six years so he's under contract from age 22-28. That means Kekalainen has essentially locked up the rising star for the entirety of his prime.
We've already seen very good hockey from Saad but the expectation is the best is yet to come. If that's the case he'll be worth every cent the Blue Jackets gave him.
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