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Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
The situation is that right now Backlund has two years left on his $3.6 million/season deal which makes him attractive to teams coming off a career season. The issue for the Flames is that if this season is his peak and he drops back to a 30 point player that struggles with injuries then he's likely not going to be offered a contract at the end of his deal as the team will put their money towards keeping other players.
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Why should we expect either of these to occur? I suppose he could suffer another injury plagued season, as could any other player on the roster. He has been really consistent in his production ratio and his pace of improvement with each passing year. I expect that he is near his peak offensively, but that is an entirely different thing than expecting him to suddenly regress.
Backlund is a damn good hockey player, even when he is not scoring. There is every reason to believe that he will continue to be a damn good hockey player for the duration of his contract and beyond. To that end, I see no urgency to trade him in the near future.
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If he continues to put up 40 point seasons the team will not be able to retain him when he becomes a free agent (sorry but that's the reality of the raises to the kids and the Giordano contract kicking in) so I simply don't see a scenario where he remains a Flame past his current contract.
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I don't think so either, but he still has two full years yet left on his deal. Now is NOT the time to move him.
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That Murray kid certainly looks like the real deal and IMO this is the offseason to sell high on guys like Colborn and Backlund if the team feels that the goaltenders available in free agency are not up to what they deem they need next season to compete for the playoffs.
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I could see moving Colborne for a good return that may or may not include a goaltender. But I will repeat, based on the market for goalies over the past few years, there is reason to believe that if Murray is in fact available (and that is a big "IF") then he could be acquired for picks and prospects. Cam Talbot was a more established goalie than Murray is, and he was moved for a package of picks outside the first round. Semyon Varlomov was acquired for a first and second round pick in 2011. (Martin Jones was moved in a multi-player/picks deal, so it is difficult to isolate his value.) As much as the Flames need a goalie, they also need Backlund, and I am confident that they can trade for a quality goalie without including him in the deal.
Having said all that, I don't think there is much chance Treliving can make a deal for Murray.