Blue Jackets delighted to add Brandon Saad
Neil Parker
2015-06-30

Fantasy take on Chicago-Columbus deal, and here is a hint, it comes up aces …
The Chicago Blackhawks traded Brandon Saad, Michael Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, Marko Dano and a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft Tuesday, June 30.
There will likely be varying takes on this deal, for obvious reasons. Firstly, though, because at face value, the Blackhawks appear to have received a little less than they could/should have.
Unfortunately, time was an important factor in this deal, similar to the trade the Boston Bruins made to ship out Dougie Hamilton. After all, this isn’t a video game or fantasy league. There was a closing window, and the Blackhawks added three roster players, and Corey Tropp who can eat fourth-line minutes, if needed.
Why didn’t they deal Patrick Sharp, Corey Crawford or Bryan Bickell?
Probably because there are 29 general managers who aren’t giddy over helping the Stanley Cup Champions slip out of another looming cap disaster. They’re still not in an ideal spot after this deal, either.