I can't believe that some of us fans think Backlund won't be back.
We have 3 good NHL level centermen and not much else in the system. Lazar, F. Hamilton and Stajan are not going to be relied upon next year (if the latter two get re-signed) to be our 3rd line center. They can barely play regularly as 4th liners. Hrivik may be lighting up the A but he is 26 and should be. He will not be ready for top 9 minutes next year.
Our only other center prospect with any hope of making the team next year is Dube and in all honesty I see him more as a winger as his game is similar to Bennett in that he is strong on the boards and hard on the forecheck.
Even if we had Hrivik or Dube as our 3rd what happens if Jankowski or Monahan get hurt?
We need to retain Backlund because without him our center ice depth goes from a strength to a dearth. Not only that Backs loves it here and will likely sign under market value like the other leaders on our team have done (Gio, Gaudreau).
You don't want to bring in a free agent cause they will cost you an extra million a year or an extra year on the contract and we have no idea if they will gel with the team (we don't need another Brouwer).
It would be foolish to not retain a guy who loves it here, plays hard every shift, is a defensive dynamo and stabilizes our team down the middle.
He will get re-signed and then we can debate the contract but no point in discussing the notion of him not coming back. Even Treliving has said how he is a key guy on the team, something he didn't realize until he got here.
You don't turn around and let a guy walk after giving him such high praise.
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