Backs has a future here is he is okay being the third line shutdown C. I think as early as next year Bennett will be in a scoring 2nd line role and we know Monahan can also handle the tough matchups. A Bouma-Backlund-Colborne third line could be excellent in a playoff series. 3 years $9.5M or 4 years $12M for Backs is what I would be okay with. He can double his salary but he has durability issues and still lacks the offensive punch to really earn north of $3M.
I also think a decision on Backs and Granlund will be made this offseason. I think one is gone just not sure which one. To me Granlund and one of our seconds might be dangled to a team with cap problems to add a Dman or top 6 forward from a team looking to shed cap (Oshie, Sharp etc). If Backlund demands too much then I see him as trade bait to a team looking for a veteran that still has several years ahead. A team like Vancouver, Toronto, Phoenix etc could have interest in Backs
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