The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Brandon Saad and defenceman Dennis Gilbert from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for rearguards Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm.
The deal, asreported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, has since been confirmed by the team.s
The Blackhawks also retain $1 million of Saad’s salary in the deal.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion in Chicago (2012-13 and 2014-15), Saad recorded 33 points in 58 games for the Blackhawks last season. His 21 goals were good for third on the team and marked the fifth time he’s put up a 20-goal campaign. He added five points in nine post-season games as the Blackhawks fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“In Brandon, we are acquiring a two-time Stanley Cup champion who brings veteran leadership and experience to our team. He is a proven goal scorer and at age 27, is in the prime of his career,” said Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic in a press release.
“We are also adding a sturdy, young defenceman in Dennis who plays a physical game and will help our depth on the blue line. We thank Nikita and Anton for their time with the Avalanche and wish them the best of luck moving forward.”
Saad, a native of Pittsburgh, has collected 347 points across 588 regular-season games with the Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored a career-best 31 goals in 2015-16 after being shipped to Columbus before the season. He returned to Chicago as part of the 2017 off-season deal that sent Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets.
Gilbert, meanwhile, is a 23-year-old D-man who split the 2019-20 campaign between the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, notching three points in 21 games for Chicago.
Heading the other way to Chicago is bruising defenceman Zadorov, 25, who led the Avalanche in hits for the fourth consecutive season in 2019-20 and picked up 13 points in 64 games.
The 16th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft was acquired by the Avalanche in the deal that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres. In seven NHL seasons, the six-foot-six, 235-pound defenceman has 75 points in 356 games.
The Blackhawks also acquired Lindholm, 25, in the Saad-Zadorov swap. The 2014 fifth-round pick has tallied five points in 66 career NHL games with the Avs.
