Saad would've made $5.4 million had he reported to the Blues' AHL affiliate. Instead, he's walking away from it to become an NHL free agent.

After failed attempts, the St. Louis Blues and two-time Stanley Cup winner Brandon Saad, 32, are mutually terminating his contract. Saad will now be a free agent.

While teams did not claim Saad when he hit waivers, the reason for it was his $4.5 million cap hit until the end of 2025-26. However, now that he is hitting the free-agent market,