Gibsonia's Brandon Saad bets on himself by joining the Golden Knights

If you’re going to bet on yourself, Las Vegas is quite the place to do it.

That is essentially what Brandon Saad is doing these days.

And so far, the Gibsonia native has largely come up aces since he joined the Vegas Golden Knights a few weeks ago.

“It’s been great,” Saad said following a morning skate at PPG Paints Arena ahead of Tuesday’s game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s been a good adjustment. Guys have been great. It’s obviously a great team. It’s been a great living situation. It’s been a really good transition so far.”

Saad’s transition began Jan. 28 when his previous employer, the St. Louis Blues, placed him on waivers, hoping another club would claim him. If not, he would be assigned to the Blues’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Much like the Blues, Saad had labored through an unimpressive 2024-25 season during his time with St. Louis. In 43 games, he had been limited to 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) and was even a healthy scratch for five games.

After clearing waivers, Saad, somewhat boldly, asked the Blues to waive him again, this time for the purposes of his contract which had another year remaining and a guaranteed payday of $4.5 million for the 2025-26 season, even if he was in the AHL.

The Blues granted him that request the next day and by Jan. 31, he signed a one-year contract for the remainder of this season with the Golden Knights worth a prorated $1.5 million.

“I heard from them when I terminated my contract (with St. Louis). They obviously have a good history of success and going after the (Stanley) Cup every year. So that’s something I wanted to get back to and get back into playoff hockey. It was a perfect fit.”

So far, so good for Saad in Sin City. Before Tuesday, he had six points (four goals, two assists) and looks much like the player who was a steady 20-goal threat earlier in his career as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Vegas goal!

Scored by Brandon Saad with 18:00 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Tomas Hertl and Brayden McNabb.

Vegas: 3
Pittsburgh: 0#PITvsVGK #VegasBorn #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/XDjHJlyHuV

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 8, 2025

“Obviously, I was a little shocked by (his departure from St. Louis),” Saad said. “But it is what it is. It was something for me where I felt like I still have a lot to give and didn’t want to go play in the minors. It’s a decision I made for me and my family, and I think it’s worked out pretty well so far.”

Entering Tuesday in first place of the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights are one of the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup final out of the Western Conference.

Adding a player with a pair of Stanley Cup rings — from his days with the Blackhawks — is congruent with the Golden Knights’ generally aggressive approach to competing.

“He fits right into that mold,” said defenseman Brayden McNabb, a member of the Golden Knights’ 2023 championship team. “He understands what it takes to win and what you need to do to win. Whenever you can add a guy like that — not even through trade, just a signing halfway through the year — it’s a huge win for us.”

“A quiet leader. He’s obviously won. A veteran guy, played a lot and has been with a lot of good teams. He’s been great so far. We’re going to need him moving forward.”

Saad has 917 regular season games on his resume, by far the most of any native of Pennsylvania who has played in the NHL.

Entering the league in 2011-12 as a 19-year-old, Saad’s game was based on using his strong skating to go to the net and get dirty goals. As a 32-year-old veteran today, that approach is still the foundation of how he plays.

But there is more guile involved.

“You get smarter the older you get,” Saad said. “I think I’ve become a smarter player. My game is still a lot on the forecheck and being around the net. But I think you add a level of experience that you grow as a player. You use a little bit more of smarts than pure (hard work) every night. You grow like that.”

A pending unrestricted free agent after this offseason, it’s a good bet that Saad will maximize his opportunity as a member of the Golden Knights as it relates to his future.

“You never know what kind of calls you’re going to get,” Saad said. “It’s a bit of a risk but for me, it’s something that I felt was a good decision for me and my family and obviously something good came of it.”