Columbus Blue Jackets: Was the Brandon Saad Experiment Another Jeff Carter Situation?

Brandon Saad’s stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets was certainly a short one and led to much disappointment from the Blue Jackets faithful. A few comparisons to the failed Jeff Carter experiment from a few years ago have been made, however they’re not deserved.

While it is true that Brandon Saad seemingly never was completely comfortable with the Columbus Blue Jackets, which made some sense considering the massive change in environment he faced; he continued to show effort regardless. Jeff Carter‘s effort was not as bad as many Blue Jackets fans will make you believe, however it was his attitude that created a hostile relationship between the player and fan base.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Jeff Carter was very open with his displeasure about joining the Blue Jackets, however from a professional stand point it was a reasonable mindset. Imagine going from a high profile, historic franchise to one of the newest teams in the league who had been struggling to find any form of success.

Brandon Saad‘s transition was fairly similar, he joined the Blue Jackets after their best season in franchise history to that point; then is immediately met with an 0-8-0 start and another brand new coach.

In both cases a player went from a team that had experienced some playoff success, in Saad’s case a lot of success; to a team that ended up being a bit of a disappointment. The main difference was simply how the player handled the situation. Brandon Saad handled his disappointment with determination, he wanted to help the team better and never voiced his displeasure publicly. Carter on the other hand, handled the situation probably the worst way possible. He played at a solid level, however he constantly made it known that he did not want to stay in Columbus.

Brandon Saad’s respect for the Columbus Blue Jackets should keep him from getting the Carter treatment whenever he returns to Nationwide Arena. Transitioning from a modern day dynasty to a building team would be tough for any player, but Saad did his best. He handled his rumored displeasure with class and did everything in his power to help the team during his short stint.