Quote:
Originally Posted by rohara66
If Bennett gets $4.5 then Backlund should get a hell of a lot more than $5.3, IMO.
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Except that I believe, and I also believe the hockey team feels the same way, that Bennett is going to be a big time player for this team. Bennett has all the tools, the desire, and a fearlessness, that makes him a special player. I expect him to exceed the level of Monahan in next two seasons. If he makes that jump, a bridge will leave you doubling that cost in those two years.
Backlund is what he is. He's a very good player in his role, but he's not going to grow much beyond what he is. I really hope the Flames don't make a mistake with him and pay him a big salary that he will never live up to. Backlund just pulled off a career year of 53 points. He'll be 29 when the new contract kicks in. Just things to consider.
Here's an interesting comparison. Compare Backlund to Doug Jarvis back in the Canadiens hay day. He was Bob Gainey before being Bob Gainey meant something. Jarvis was a great two way forward that gave the Canadiens a massive edge over the other teams teams they were playing against. He was great on the faceoffs, tenacious as hell, and was one of the best penalty killers in the league. But when push came to shove, and Jarvis wanted more money, the Habs shipped him off to Washington as part of a blockbuster deal. That opened the door for Gainey to become Gainey, and later Carbonneau to become Carbonneau.
Don't get me wrong, I love Backlund. I'd be comfortable signing Backlund to a larger contract but only if you had cost certainty on Bennett as well. Without cost certainty on Bennett, the risk is too great to throw big money in a long term deal at a player like Backlund. Again, we were all enthralled with Backlund because of the value he brought to the team, and having a career year making $3.5M a season. How will we feel if he gets $6M a season and goes back to being a 40 point guys and missing chunk of the season? See Troy Brouwer and how he is treated here, or Ollie Jokinen when he was first here as examples.