Blackhawks fans have someone to cheer for in the Stanley Cup Final

The Chicago Blackhawks are entering yet another offseason where they didn't even come close to clinching a playoff spot. This is a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2020 and even with their young stars, need to have the roster bolstered to have a legitimate chance to get back into contention.

As is the case with fans of teams who didn't make or were eliminated from the playoffs, they can either tune out or decide to pick one of the team's left to support. One easy way to do so is to find a team with a former player on it, For the Blackhawks, there weren't many prominent names in the playoff field, with Nick Foligno getting eliminated in the second round with the Minnesota Wild, and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews missing out on the playoffs with the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets, respectively.

One former, prominent Blackhawks player left in the playoffs is winger Brandon Saad, who is a member of the stacked Vegas Golden Knights team that won the Western Conference Championship.

Brandon Saad helped deliver two Stanley Cups to Chicago

Blackhawks fans will always look back fondly of that 2010s dynasty. Back in 2009, they lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Red Wings. Before that, they had gone five consecutive seasons without a playoff berth. Their first Stanley Cup title arrived in 2010, where they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. That was before Saad arrived.

Saad was part of the Blackhawks' dominant run during the 2013 and 2015 playoff runs. In 2013, Saad one goal and five assists through Chicago's 23 games, with his first goal arriving in their 4-3 overtime win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. During the team's run to the Western Conference Finals, Saad was on fire, scoring six goals and recording 10 assists in 19 games. Then, came the 2015 run to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. Saad scored eight goals and posted three assists in 23 playoff games. In the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, Saad scored a Game 4 winning goal to tie the series 2-2, while assisting on Kane's decisive goal to secure the Blackhawks' 2-0 Game 6 win to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Given how well he played as he logged more playoff experience, he became a fan favorite in Chicago. There was an uproar when the team allowed Saad to hit free agency in 2015, where he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blackhawks did bring Saad back two years later, but it came at the expense of Artemi Panarin in the trade with Columbus. However, that trade wasn't Saad's fault. The anger was more directed towards then-general manager Stan Bowman. The trade was one piece of the downfall of the Blackhawks, created by Bowman.

Few former Blackhawks have another chance like this

As is the case with many players who get older in their careers, it's becomes that much more difficult to contend for a Stanley Cup title. Even though Saad has two to his credit, who doesn't want to add another championship ring to their collection?

For Saad, he hasn't won a Stanley Cup title since 2015, that's over 10 years ago. Now, he is a contributor on a stacked Golden Knights team that dispatched of the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in the first two rounds, before shockingly sweeping the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. The latter was surprising, considering the team won the President's Trophy for best record in the regular season.

Saad talked about how winning the President's Trophy never means you're a shoo-in to win the Stanley Cup. Saad knows this, as he was part of the 2012-13 Blackhawks team that was the last to win the Stanley Cup and President's Trophy in the same year.

“I know it’s always talked about as being a curse and no one ever wins it. Chicago, we were fortunate to do both, but it was the same talk that year, obviously," said Saad, h/t Golden Knights Radio. Presidents’ Trophy just kind of shows how good of a year you had and things fell into place, whether it’s health or things going the right way, getting the bounces. But then playoffs is a new animal, so you kind of have to regroup, refocus, and sometimes it’s more of a target on your back than anything.”

The Golden Knights got hot at the right time, at the start of the playoffs, and look like a juggernaut.

Why this Stanley Cup run feels different

For Saad, he is 33 years old and on his third team since 2020. After spending time with the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, Saad ended up in Vegas during the 2024-25 season. He is not the player that can put up 50 points in a regular season like he did early on in his season, but he has a role as a depth option for Vegas.

During this run, Saad has two assists in five games, where he averages 8:41 of ice time. Saad only played in Games 4-6 in the second round against the Ducks, and in Games 1 and 2 against the Avalanche. Again, he is just a depth option for a Golden Knights team that is stacked at the forward group. Saad is set to be a free agent after this run, and who knows if this will be his last chance at winning his third Stanley Cup title.

Blackhawks fans already have a reason to care about this Final

It's difficult to find rooting interest in the playoffs when your team isn't participating. Sometimes, that's when you can check out. But if you do enjoy watching playoff hockey, as it is one of the best playoff games in all of professional sports, you try to find someone to cheer for. Hence why you look towards former players.

For Saad, he does bring Blackhawks fans of a reminder during their glory days in the 2010s. Seeing Saad win a Stanley Cup over a decade after his last may cheer up some fans in Chicago. Given his drop in production over the years and the jumping from team to team, who knows if this will be the last, best opportunity for Saad.

It may not feel right to root for the Golden Knights, considering they are that team that adds superstars to their roster with relative ease. But seeing Saad lift up the Stanley Cup another time could be heartwarming to some fans.

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