All the talk about Backlund, how good he is etc. got me to thinking. It's starting to feel like a lot of the Flames players are being paid based on their relative value to the team, as opposed to their relative value in the league.
To me, it applies to Backlund, Stajan, Bouma. I'm not saying they are all bad contracts. But I remember several comments to the effect that "he is an important part of what we are doing here". I remember that with Stajan's contract specifically.
I don't think that philosophy works unless you are an elite team.
Part of why the NE patriots are so good year after year (aside from #12) is that they don't get attached to their players and would rather cut a player one year too soon than one year too late.
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