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Originally Posted by New Era
So we waited until Backlund to hit his stride at 26, and show some level of consistency to his game, but we're going to claim that Bennett, at 20, is pretty much done in his development? Backlund is a good player, but let's not get ridiculous here, he's not a core player and you don't make long term commitments to guys who are not core players.
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I think Backlund is presently a core player: he is still in the prime of his career, and is currently one of the three best forwards on a team whose championship window is starting to open. Backlund is not easily replaceable, and I don't believe there is a player in the system that will be in a position to displace him for another four or five years.
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I would love to see the Flames keep Backlund long term, but not at the possibility of making it difficult to hold onto Bennett and Tkachuk long term.
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I really think the goal needs to be keeping all three. Ideally both Tkachuk and Bennett become so good that Backlund does become expendable, but how confident are we that this will happen?
I tend to think that a three year deal is a non-starter for Backlund, but I also agree that the risk of anything over six years is unappealing. I think a five year deal for Backlund is ideal, and a six year contract that carries him to 34-years-old is still a manageable term for both sides.