I think they should negotiate hard and re-sign him even if the plan is to eventually replace him. As long as you do so without an NTC he's worth more as an asset signed. For me as much as I like the player, letting a prime asset like Backlund in his late 20s walk away with no return is unacceptable for a young team like the flames building towards becoming a regular contender over the next 2 or 3 years. When you look at the list of good players who teams let hit free agency in their 20s it's a pretty short one. Well run franchises simply don't do it.
My preference would be:
1- sign and keep him
2- sign and trade next summer when Tkachuk and Ferland are up if you need the cap space
3- trade him now and take the 1st and a prospect/2nd, flip it for a permanent piece or draft prospects
4- let him walk for nothing
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