Quote:
Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames
Can we put this "Elite 3rd line Center" garbage to rest already? If Backlund is a 3rd line Center than he's the best in the league by a country mile.
Show me a top-6 center let alone a 3rd line center who faces the same competition as Backlund, starts in the defensive zone as much as Backlund, scores more points than Backlund while against elite defenseman and simultaneously shutting down elite forwards. If anyone who meets that criteria is making under 6 million, that's one hell of a bargain.
And Backlund WILL be a FA once his contract expires so he's essentially in the same situation as Frolik was. He's just younger, better and plays the more important position.
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Show me a top six who's never scored 50 points. I like Backlund and I always argued he would be as good as Turris and defended him in years past, but In a cap world if I'm Treliving I'm doing everything I can to get him for around what Frolik got. We don't have a lot of cap space and the team still needs a lot of work on RW and D to be a true contender. Teams that win cups have value contracts and people on hometown discounts. You basically pay your stars and that's it. Even Chicago let guys like Buff and Saad go cause of cap. I'm not saying we let Backlund walk or trade him but I wouldn't walk in first offer and hand him 5 mill when we got other guys in the pipe that need raises and holes to fill.
For the record I would of put Monahan on a bridge deal as well I think he's making way too much at this point.
I wouldnt pump these guys tires and fap over them. This is how Bouma got his crappy contract and why Ferland tried holding out and why Monahan got 6 instead of a bridge deal. I would always be a little bit of a skeptic if I was Tre.