No way Backlund is traded. He might be the most important forward on the team.
I made my prediction based on what I believe he will be asking for salary wise. I can see his agent wanting something like 6x6. Given the other contracts on the team coming up that need renewal and the current ones you can't afford to sign him to those numbers and are better off dealing him.
Then you may as well trade him now, as Backlund will get more $$$ and years as a UFA.
I guess the hope is that he'll accept less to remain a Flame and not take the risk of injury.
I assume if Backlund would sign such a deal, it would have been done already.
I expect him to sign with the Flames at numbers of about 6x6.
I like Backlund but there is no way you give him 6X6. We still have to find money to keep Bennett and Tkachuk down the road and in a few years key members of our D will also be up.
I like Backlund but there is no way you give him 6X6. We still have to find money to keep Bennett and Tkachuk down the road and in a few years key members of our D will also be up.
It's hard to imagine they will trade him during the season, as Calgary is in win-now mode.
At some stage you have to forget about "cap hell" down the line, as all good contending teams will eventually get there.
If you always sacrifice current players to ensure you have enough cap space for the future, you'll never have as good a team as you could.
If you want to contend for the Stanley Cup, you eventually have to "go for it", and than means sacrificing some longer term cap flexibility.
I think Tre has made the decision to go for it over the next few years. I can't imagine he would let Backlund leave over a $1M per season cap difference. He's simply too value to the team.
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I let Bennett go before Backlund. Right now I'd be surprised if Bennett ever becomes the player that Backlund is. You can say what you want about potential but the past 3 seasons Backlund has made every player he has played with better. He's the reason we gave Bouma that contract. Backlund makes this team better than Bennett does or probably will. If you're at the point where you have to choose, you hope Bennett has a good year so you can get a good return, end of story.
I let Bennett go before Backlund. Right now I'd be surprised if Bennett ever becomes the player that Backlund is. You can say what you want about potential but the past 3 seasons Backlund has made every player he has played with better. He's the reason we gave Bouma that contract. Backlund makes this team better than Bennett does or probably will. If you're at the point where you have to choose, you hope Bennett has a good year so you can get a good return, end of story.
No way I trade Bennett before Backlund. I would trade Monahan before Bennett even. Bennett's upside is too high.
No way I trade Bennett before Backlund. I would trade Monahan before Bennett even. Bennett's upside is too high.
I keep hearing about this upside but I don't see it, Monahan did better when he was younger, on a worse team with worse line mates in his rookie season. Bennett is too small to play the game that made him successful in junior and he doesn't use his teammates well. Bennett has no exceptional skills with the exception of maybe his desire to be a better player than he is.
I like Backlund but there is no way you give him 6X6. We still have to find money to keep Bennett and Tkachuk down the road and in a few years key members of our D will also be up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FanIn80
I think Backlund would ask for close to Bergeron/Kesler money.
The discussion should be, "Is he a Bergeron/Kesler?" If he is, then why shouldn't he get what they get? If he isn't, then... well... why isn't he?
Does he get 6x6 though? or Bergeron/Kesler money? I feel like that is high for him.
As good as Backlund is he still isn't a massive point producer and in the NHL you get paid for points. Kesler had broken 70 points in his career at the time of his contract, Bergeron has had multiple 70 and 60 point seasons at the time of his contract, Backlund's career high was 53 points last year and he only broke 40 pts one other time.
Over the last two seasons Backlund has 100 points in 163 games - so pretty much a 50pt player / 0.6 ppg guy by every measure at the prime of his career.
The other centers close to those offensive numbers that have signed recently are:
Zibanejad 0.64ppg - 5 years at $5.4M
Perreault 0.63ppg - 4 years at $4.1M
Anisimov 0.62ppg - 5 years at $4.5M
Johnson 0.61ppg - 7 years at $5.0M
Hanzal 0.59ppg - 3 years at $4.75M
Nielson 0.59ppg - 6 years at $5.25M
Turris will be a good comparable too if he gets extended before Backlund does.
IMO Backlund shouldn't cost us more than $5.5M based on offensive comparables that have signed over the last two years
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 08-02-2017 at 11:47 AM.
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While it's not a roster player, I do think there is a good chance the Flames trade one of their goalie prospects. Parson is too good to be stuck in the ECHL for an extended period of time. I want to see him on the Heat roster. Meaning either goalie injuries or someone is traded. Maybe Rittich.
Location: F*** me. We're so f***ing good, you check the f***ing standings? Lets f***ing go! F***ing practice!
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Does he get 6x6 though? or Bergeron/Kesler money? I feel like that is high for him.
As good as Backlund is he still isn't a massive point producer and in the NHL you get paid for points. Kesler had broken 70 points in his career at the time of his contract, Bergeron has had multiple 70 and 60 point seasons at the time of his contract, Backlund's career high was 53 points last year and he only broke 40 pts one other time.
Over the last two seasons Backlund has 100 points in 163 games - so pretty much a 50pt player / 0.6 ppg guy by every measure at the prime of his career.
The other centers close to those offensive numbers that have signed recently are:
Zibanejad 0.64ppg - 5 years at $5.4M
Perreault 0.63ppg - 4 years at $4.1M
Anisimov 0.62ppg - 5 years at $4.5M
Johnson 0.61ppg - 7 years at $5.0M
Hanzal 0.59ppg - 3 years at $4.75M
Nielson 0.59ppg - 6 years at $5.25M
Turris will be a good comparable too if he gets extended before Backlund does.
IMO Backlund shouldn't cost us more than $5.5M based on offensive comparables that have signed over the last two years
The thing is Backlund is on another level than any of those guys you listed when it comes to two way hockey. Look at his zone starts. Always starts in the D zone, yet still put up 53 points. If his line got the zone starts that the Monahan line gets he would put up many more points.
He was the MVP of the Flames last year. The most important player for this team. 6x6 seems about right to me.
__________________ Backlund for Selke 2017 2018
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I keep hearing about this upside but I don't see it, Monahan did better when he was younger, on a worse team with worse line mates in his rookie season. Bennett is too small to play the game that made him successful in junior and he doesn't use his teammates well. Bennett has no exceptional skills with the exception of maybe his desire to be a better player than he is.
No exceptional skills? Not sure how anyone can conclude that. Ranked 1st in his draft year by multiple sources. Here's an example of his skills including his exceptional shot and some exceptional puck handling. Check out that unreal backhand roof shot.
I mean either you're not watching him closely or you're just ignorant on the topic. You're insistence that he's too small to play his game makes me lean towards the ignorant side of things since he isn't too small to play any type of game. Young players are often inconsistent and Bennett has struggled with that but his upside is tremendous and history is littered with many players who didn't put it all together until they were older than Bennett is now.
So lay off the too small, no exceptional skills BS. Because that's what it is, just straight BS.
Last edited by Flames Draft Watcher; 08-02-2017 at 12:39 PM.
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I keep hearing about this upside but I don't see it, Monahan did better when he was younger, on a worse team with worse line mates in his rookie season. Bennett is too small to play the game that made him successful in junior and he doesn't use his teammates well. Bennett has no exceptional skills with the exception of maybe his desire to be a better player than he is.
A few things wrong with this post:
1- Bennett out scored Monahan in his rookie year
2- Bennett is almost 6'2 and is likely over 200 lbs now, small?
3- Monahan got a few gifts named PP time and Johnny Gaudreau, Bennett got Brouwer
It's all about opportunity, time warp Bennett back to 13/14 when the team wasn't glutted with centers and we likely have different production from Sam.
Trading a 20 year old center with his talent and jam would be employment suicide for Treliving
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Doubt Backlund or Bennett will be going anywhere anytime soon. I think management and the coaches are pretty happy with the core of this team moving forward. Any moves made will be depth moves IMO. Midseason isn't really the time to be making big moves, those are made during the offseason (Smith, Hamonic.) Doesn't really make sense for the Flames to be selling players at the deadline since we should be contending this year and the upcoming years.
So yeah if any trades are made I'd expect it to be around the depth defensemen (Bartkowski, Wotherspoon, etc.) The only part of our team that is big question mark heading into next season is the 6th/7th defenseman role and I could moves made there to acquire one if nobody impresses or to deal a guy like Bartkowski off if he looks to be redundant and young guys beat him out in camp.
The thing is Backlund is on another level than any of those guys you listed when it comes to two way hockey. Look at his zone starts. Always starts in the D zone, yet still put up 53 points. If his line got the zone starts that the Monahan line gets he would put up many more points.
He was the MVP of the Flames last year. The most important player for this team. 6x6 seems about right to me.
Nobody is disputing how good he was, but facts are he's had 2 good years with 47 and 53 points in his prime of 27 and 28 yrs old, before that most didn't care if he was here or not.
6x6 most likely would be a brutal anchor within 2 years
Nobody is disputing how good he was, but facts are he's had 2 good years with 47 and 53 points in his prime of 27 and 28 yrs old, before that most didn't care if he was here or not.
6x6 most likely would be a brutal anchor within 2 years
Brutal anchor? One could say its market value for a 2nd line centre with elite defensive play. I don't see how it would be considered a brutal anchor. I'd take Backlund every day and twice on Sundays over Mikael Granlund and look how much he just got.
Centre is a position worth paying a lot of money for. It's not like we have McDavid at 12 milly and Draisatil at 8. With Monahan making less than 7 we can afford to keep Backlund, Tkachuk and Bennett IMO. I think the only way we don't re-sign Backlund is if he really wants to test the market but I get the impression he's pretty happy to be here.
