There may not be any players happier to see the 2017-18 NHL season come to its end than Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad.
Acquired by the team in an offseason trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Saad returned to Chicago after his first stint with the team resulted in a pair of Stanley Cup victories and his emergence as a legitimate top-six forward in the NHL.
While Saad’s possession numbers were largely in line with the rest of his career, his point production took a serious hit. Saad had just 18 goals and 17 points, the lowest numbers he’s produced in the five full NHL seasons he’s played.
Brandon Saad: “Definitely not happy about how the season went.” #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 9, 2018
Saad had plenty of praise for teammate Alex DeBrincat, who was the team’s leading goal scorer in his rookie season:
.@BSaad20 on @Brinksy97’s rookie season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1N9MShdUX2
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 9, 2018
And though his offseason plans won’t include the World Championships, Saad figures to be plenty busy this summer with some personal plans:
Brandon Saad won’t play at Worlds. Wants to focus on his training, plus he’s getting married in July.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 9, 2018