Saad on the other side is just part of the game

The Blackhawks won't admit it. And neither would Brandon Saad.

But you have to wonder if, deep down, both sides would like to go back to late June so they could come to terms on a deal that would have made everybody happy.

From the Hawks' standpoint, they have yet to find the right player to replace the lightning-fast Saad on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.

And from Saad's standpoint, he's playing on a Columbus team that has allowed 30 goals en route to a franchise-worst 0-6-0 start.

Alas, there's no time-traveling DeLorean available in 2015, so the trade that sent Saad to Columbus won't be reversed. Saad, who proceeded to sign a six-year, $36 million deal with the Blue Jackets, said this after the Hawks won it all in mid-June: "The money's going to come and go, but to win championships and play on a great team - that's what it's all about."

Before the Hawks beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 on Saturday, I asked Saad if he wished he'd been a bit more involved in the negotiations with the Hawks.

After pausing, and glancing skyward for a split second, he said: "Not too much. It's something that's part of the business. At the end of the day ... I had a lot of good memories here, so that's always tough to leave somewhere where you had a lot of history and a lot of success.

"But at the same time that's the way the business goes and it's part of the game."

The 22-year-old Saad piled up 56 goals for the Hawks the last two seasons (14 coming in the postseason). He was an instrumental part of the team's Stanley Cup run last summer and was to receive his championship ring Saturday.

Coming back to the United Center just four-plus months after eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning was "a little weird" for Saad, but he also said it was nice to "get it out of the way."

As for the transition to a new team, Columbus coach Todd Richards said Saad, who scored 3 goals in the team's first five games, is probably still adjusting and getting his feet wet. Despite that, the coach appreciates what the proven winner brings to the Blue Jackets.

"For me, it's as simple as his body language sometimes," Richards said. "He's attentive, he's listening. ... And then the way he plays on the ice. You can tell he comes from an environment that's used to winning."

Since the start of training camp, seven Hawks players - seven! - have skated with Toews and Hossa on the top line.

"(Saad's) a fast, skilled guy with big, powerful legs and movement," Andrew Shaw said. "It's tough to replace a guy like that, but guys are gonna step up and do the best they can."

Hossa, who scored his first goal of the season on the power play in the third period, said he felt no temptations to pass the puck to his former linemate.

"No, I didn't," Hossa said, laughing.

Before that Hossa said: "He's been a part of us for a few years. Seeing him on the other side definitely was weird. But that's part of the game."

Artem Anisimov and Teuvo Teravainen scored goals 65 seconds apart in the second period to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Hossa made it 3-0, Patrick Kane added an empty-netter and Corey Crawford made 22 saves in net as the Hawks improved to 3-3-0.