from Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times,

Brandon Saad is going to be back. He’s going to get paid. The only question is how much.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion at 22 — not even Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane accomplished that feat — the 6-1, 204-pound Saad took another giant step forward on a career arc that seems destined for elite status as an NHL power forward in this year’s postseason.

Saad scored 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 23 games. He scored the game-winning goal in a critical Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final as the Hawks avoided falling into a 3-1 hole. The Hawks were 7-1 when he scored a goal.

But like Marian Hossa, Saad’s contributions go far beyond the numbers. His strength with the puck, his defensive ability, his speed and his aggressiveness in utilizing that speed combine to give Saad a Hossa-like value that makes the Hawks the championship team they are.

Now comes the hard part. Saad will be a free agent in the offseason. Hawks general manager Stan Bowman has made it clear publicly that the Hawks are going to re-sign him. But even if other teams can’t sign Saad, they’re sure to do all they can to drive the price up and put an even bigger dent in the Hawks’ 2015-16 salary cap.

With the hard cap in the NHL, it’s a familiar quandary for key players on a championship team like the Hawks. The more they get paid, the less money there is for the supporting cast. It’s a delicate balance for players who know they only have a finite amount of years to make big money, yet appreciate being part of a championship team.

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