- Brynäs and Djurgården have both checked in on the two-time Stanley Cup winner, per Expressen’s Johan Svensson
- Saad managed just nine points in 49 games with Vegas last season, career lows across the board
- Read below for why the SHL has become a soft landing for fading NHL veterans
Brandon Saad might be finishing his career in Sweden.
Two SHL clubs, Brynäs and Djurgården, have checked in on the two-time Stanley Cup winner as he hunts for his next contract, per Johan Svensson of Expressen. Saad is a free agent after 15 NHL seasons, and the market for a 33-year-old winger coming off the worst year of his career has been quiet.
That down year is easy to spot. Saad played just 49 games for Vegas in 2025-26, the first time he has ever dipped under 50 in a full season. His nine points were his first single-digit scoring total since he became an NHL regular.
It wasn’t always like this. Saad put up 47 points as a first-year regular in Chicago, then rattled off three straight seasons of 50 or more. He won the Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015 before stops in Columbus, Colorado, St. Louis and Vegas.
He now sits 16 games shy of 1,000 for his NHL career. Whether he gets there in the NHL or overseas is the open question.
The SHL has turned into a landing spot for veterans who lose a step. The league leans on patient playmaking over raw speed, and NHL alumni have led it in scoring in four of the last five seasons. Brynäs finished fourth in scoring in Sweden last year and could hand Saad a real role.
Brynäs already dipped into the NHL market this summer, adding Jaret Anderson-Dolan after a year out of the league. Landing Saad would be a much bigger swing.
Take a look back at where it all started, Saad’s first NHL goal with Chicago:
Saad has never played outside North America. Brynäs and Djurgården are betting he’s ready to start now.
