Firstly, interesting to see that Feaster is back to testing the trade market through the media.
Given the restrictions he seemed to be under in talking to them after the O'Reilly thing last year (recall you didn't hear a peep from him for a couple months in the media, or did these type of rumors appear in that time), it must mean these players are as good as gone with a fairly low return expected, as other avenues have likely been explored.
I'll give Feaster credit for getting anything for a totally useless (without Iginla) Tanguay and that contract, but it meant taking a similar contract back in Jones and downgrade of defender (though Sarich was not a Hartley fan anyways).
Now with Smid aboard, I assume they'd rather have a guy like Breen come in and get time instead of SOB as the 7-8 guy, but I don't think SOB has done any less or more than was expected of him.
As for Backlund, he's been given a fair bit of rope over the past 4 years to cut out his niche and find his role in the team. He's gotten a bit better in so far as playing a tougher and more complete game, but likely not to the point where you'd think a guy playing that many NHL games should be on the progression chart, and given that he's always supposed to have been a skill first cetnre, that's fallen by the wayside.
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