Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Backlund is being over-rated. He’s a very good third line center, but you don’t pay third liners $5-6M on a long term contract and think you’re going to win anything. Backlund is being held up as this awesome two way center, but he’s second worst on the team in +/- at -6, behind the likes of Brouwer and Stajan, and is the worst Flames center in the face of dot at 48.6%. I’d like to keep the guy around, but he is proving to be worth no more than $4-5M per on a shorter term deal, less per on a long term deal.
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Yep. I would let him walk if his demands are over $5 million a season. He's already near the end of his prime and he's got one 50 point season in his career. I think he's massively overrated here as if he hit free agency I don't think there's a fan base that would be happy if their team signed him to a $5 x 5 contract as they are going to look at his career stats and say WTF? He's below average at face-offs so he's already down a point in what an ideal checking center brings to the table and he's just not good enough offensively to warrant big money. He's a solid player but you can't overpay these guys and I expect the reason he hasn't been extended is because the organization is having a tough time justifying paying him big money for a long term. I feel Treliving will get him signed to a contract under $5 million a season.