[Poe969]

I would wait a while to sign them. There is no rush and you want to see if they're going to keep improving like they did last year or see if last year was just an exception to the rule. I think Backlund got to shine because there weren't any expectations on the team and there was no pressure to produce. There won't be again this year but there might be pressure on him to step up and if he can then we can sign him around Christmas. I think he will sign a more affordable contract then some are suggesting though. Brodie is a little harder to gauge, it's hard to tell if he did so well last year because of Gio. I know he still played well when Gio was hurt but his defensive game didn't seem as good. I see Brodie as more of just an offensive defensman and that kind of scares me personally. I think he really needs to improve his all around game before we sign him long term, but that's just me. Giving him 5 million a year would be a mistake in my eyes unless he does something to show he's improved over last year.