Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
Ok, first off calling Backlund the Flames MVP is crazy. He had a great year last season but lets not get crazy here. Gio, Brodie, Hamilton, Gaudreau, and Monahan are more valuable to the franchise right now and Bennett and Tkachuk will be in the near future. Second off 750K in a cap world were you have other pieces to keep and over a 6 year term that is 4.5M. In two years Hamonic and Brodie need new deals. If Bennett is bridged for two years he will as well. The next year Hamilton is up. I would argue those guys are more important to retain than Backlund given Jankowski's progress into what should be a more than competent 3rd line C. So if Backlund wants 6M a year than the most you give him is 3 years and even that would be stretching it. I would say if he wants 6 and he is a must sign than 2 years is ideal. I can't see it, he will want more term. If it all works out that way then trading him while his value is at peak value is really the best option for this team.
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More valuable to the franchise doesn't mean being a current better player in the league. Duchene, Landeskog, ROR (who got traded too), EJ, Barrie, Varlamov and MacKinnon were more valuable to the Avs than Statsny was, doesn't mean that they could function without what he brought to the team.
Backlund is our best center right now, bar none. Easily. No debate. That doesn't mean he's the more valuable asset, or that he will be better in two years, but as of today, he definitely is. Monahan has a better shot than Backlund... and not much else. Monahan outscored Backlund by a measly five points, all while getting butter soft ozone deployment, getting to ride shotgun to an arguable top 5 offensive dynamo in the league and while getting copious amounts of time on the top powerplay unit.
And Backlund is only 28 years of age, he still has a lot of great hockey left inside of him, and seems to be just hitting his stride as a player. Backlund has paid his dues on and off the ice and definitely is deserving of a payday himself. Now if he's demanding 6.5M+, then it would be wise to cut him loose and flip him for more assets, but if he's willing to sign anywhere between 5M - 5.75M then Tre should be sprinting to his printer.
There should be other ways to free up salary than to trade the recently voted 4th best defensive forward in the league like by finding ways to get rid of Michael Stone who is making 3.5M to play on the bottom pairing or by doing anything in your power to rid yourself of Troy ####ing Brouwer, who is not even a fraction of the player Backlund is, while being paid 4.5M to point his finger around in the dressing room, and to skate around in circles for 30 seconds per shift.