Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025 | 4:42 p.m.
There are only two players on the Vegas Golden Knights roster who have won the Stanley Cup more than once.
Alex Pietrangelo, the first that comes to mind, won with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and the Golden Knights in 2023.
The second is Brandon Saad, the Golden Knights’ newest acquisition. On Jan. 28, the St. Louis Blues placed him on waivers, and the Golden Knights then signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
He’s been in the league since 2011 and was brought to Vegas to add some veteran experience on the fourth line. In his first four seasons, he won the Stanley Cup not once but twice.
Saad was drafted 43rd overall by the Blackhawks and won his first Stanley Cup in 2013. Two seasons later, he’d hoist the trophy as the Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six seasons.
Over that stretch, he earned All-Rookie Team honors and was an All-Star in 2016. While it’s been a decade since he lifted the Stanley Cup, Saad said he sees many similarities between the Golden Knights and the Blackhawk teams he won with.
“The depth of the team,” Saad said on the Golden Knights’ similarities to the 2013 and 2015 Blackhawks. “Anytime that you don’t have to rely on one guy or one line, that’s huge, especially for a deep run in the playoffs.”
While the lockout cut the regular season down 48 games, the 2015 Blackhawks 82-game season has a handful of individual statical similarities to this season’s Golden Knights.
Nine Blackhawk players had 30 points or more, and four had 50 points or more. While Vegas had 26 games left in the regular season, it’s on pace for a similar point spread.
Jack Eichel is on pace for 104 points, Mark Stone is projected for 72 points, and Tomas Hertl is on pace for 62 points. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa were the three 60+ point-getters for Chicago in 2015.
Duncan Keith was the Blackhawks’ highest-scoring defenseman, which is Shea Theodore’s spot for the Golden Knights. Saad was in a similar position as Pavel Dorofeyev, who is now a younger winger having a career year.
In his fourth NHL season, Saad scored 52 points in 82 games, and Dorofeyev is projected to score 53 points in 82 games in his fourth NHL season.
Depth can take a team a long way, and from Saad’s experience, the Golden Knights have a winning formula.
“We’ve got a lot of depth on this team that can keep playing the right way and take over games with that,” Saad said. “Even the games we lost, we played, we played well and battled back. There’s a lot of good things coming from that.”
One of the biggest things that stood out when Saad signed with the Golden Knights was that he wasn’t concerned with money, taking a $3 million pay cut.
To Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, that spoke volumes about his understanding and commitment to winning the Stanley Cup.
“He’s won twice, he knows the feeling,” Cassidy said following Saad’s signing. “I’ve done it once, I know the feeling. The next thing you want to do is win it again. That’s what he wants.”
“He thought we were the best chance to do that, and that’s a compliment to the organization. We’re glad to have him, and he should be a really good fit.”
Saad hasn’t settled into a permanent spot in the lineup, playing on three different line combinations with Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Brett Howden.
However, similar to his analysis of the Golden Knights’ depth, having players move up and down the lineup is one of the reasons why he came to Vegas.
“I wanted to come to a winning organization and have a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup,” Saad said. “Vegas gave me that opportunity. I’m just looking to prove myself and help the team win.”