Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
Not hard to do when the previous highs were more suited to a 4th line grinder than some sort of offensive centerman....Anton freaking Babchuk outscored him that year, so wow indeed.
Sorry, but this guy simply didnt earn anything more than what he received this season....now that doesnt mean he shouldnt get a bump moving forward, but 4 million dollars for 4 years seems ludicrous.
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yes, he was outscored by Anton Babchuk in 2010-11. But that has absolutely nothing to do with Backlunds play last season and in the games so far this season, and this is all that matters in contract negotiations going forward. He's improved a lot over the last 4 seasons, I don't think anyone would disagree. He was already a .5 PPG player during the lockout-shortened season and he was again last season. Plus, Backlund means much more to the Flames than just offense. It's his two-way play and his penalty killing that carries a lot of value IMO and the Flames have definitely missed him in that regard this season.
I don't think 4 x 4 for a player like is ludicrous at all in today's NHL (and judging from this thread, it doesn't seem like I'm alone on this), but hey, we'll see.