Blackhawks: RFA Max Domi Could Be Traded For Brandon Saad

Rumors of Max Domi being traded away from the Canadiens are running wild, with a chance of the Chicago Blackhawks being his destination.

The Chicago Blackhawks need to cut some salary cap if they want to re-sign a few key players for the future. Due to the pandemic, the salary cap will remain the same for the next 3-seasons, with no compliance buyout. With that being the case, there will be moves made by Chicago this offseason.

Max Domi has been rumored to be expendable by the Canadiens, as his contract has run out and there are rumors of trading him, instead of keeping him. As an RFA, the Canadiens receive compensation if another team picks him up, or they can trade him, which is likely the case. Who is the rumored candidate to be traded to the Canadiens from Chicago? Brandon Saad.

Saad has 1-year left on his $6,000,000 AAV deal. Trading Saad opens up cap space while bringing back a solid player that will fill his role for the team.

In 71-games this past season, Domi scored 17-goals and had 27-assists for 44-points. In return, Saad had 21-goals and 12-assists in 58-games totaling out to 33-points on the season. They’re pretty even, with Domi edging him out just because of the extra games played.

Domi will be cheaper than Saad, with every dollar mattering to this team. Even if they don’t come to terms with Domi, the Hawks could trade him away for picks or let him go and receive draft capital as compensation. That’s an easy way to write off $6,000,000 for the 2021 NHL season.

The rumors of losing Saad come to every offseason, along with every trade deadline. Is it likely to happen? It’s hard to say because of how big his contract is. If he stays with the team, he will likely be taking a pay-cut or end up somewhere else. So, it’s worth giving the trade a shot, unless they can come to terms with Saad before the start of the season.