Brandon Saad, Blue Jackets agree to $36-million deal

Brandon Saad and the Columbus Blue Jackets came to terms on a six-year contract worth $36 million Friday.

The former Blackhawks winger, who was traded to Columbus on Tuesday, expressed his gratitude to his former team on Twitter.

"Thanks @NHLBlackhawks organization for an incredible start to my career and for all the great memories! Happy to have played with world class teammates in front of dedicated fans! Excited to join the @Col_BlueJackets and get the season started!"

Saad scored 23 goals and had 29 assists in the regular season and added 8 more goals in the playoffs. Saad has the highest cap hit ($6 million per year) in Columbus other than goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky ($7.425 million).

Saad, who was vacationing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when the contract was finalized, said: "I've been excited ever since the trade happened, and really just hoping to get it done as soon as possible. At the end of the day, I couldn't be more excited to get something done and get the season going."

"I've been sitting by the phone a little bit, waiting to get something done," Saad said. "I'm enjoying vacation, obviously, it's nice to be around the beach and the sun, but at the same time it's always in your mind. You want to get things done and be on a team and be excited to go, so that's been a little bit stressful, but I couldn't be more excited now."

He joins several other young players who have signed long-term deals in Columbus: Johansen, Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner.

"(The Blue Jackets) have a lot of talented guys, and I know from playing against them how hard they work and the type of system they play," Saad said. "They're tough to play against. Their talent and skill on top of that makes them lethal, and I'm happy to be part of the team now."

The Associated Press contributed to this report