Quote:
Originally Posted by blender
As I said before I think Backlund's contract is value for what he provides. He drives possession against the oppositions best players and we all know how much he elevates the play of his linemates.
How are we replacing him for the same money, unless it is a Rookie on an ELC?
Zary? I live in Kamloops and have watched him a lot. He is a good player, fun to watch, exciting. I am looking forward to seeing him play and hope he has a long career as a Flame. But proposing 19-year-old Zary as a Backlund replacement is not logical.
Another thing about Backlund is that he is possibly the best Flame at skating the puck through the neutral zone.
Very underrated player.
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I love Backlund. Don’t get me wrong. I agree with all the things you said about him. To me, here is how I break down the forwards though:
Absolutely, 100% protected if they are with the team: Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk and Lindholm.
Young players that have shown enough to be top 6 level players going forward: Mangiapane and Dube.
I would definitely not allow the 6 players above to be selected by Seattle.
So, to me, it really comes down to Bennett or Backlund. If Bennett gets to play centre, and he has a good season at centre, then I would expose Backlund to keep the much younger and cheaper Bennett. The fact that I have Bennett on my list is an indication that I’m betting on Bennett.
As for replacing Backlund, I have a few points. First, Backlund has already began to regress. Who knows what he is like after next season? Second, if Backlund gets selected, the Flames would have over $5M in cap space to work with. That doesn’t guarantee a Backlund replacement. But $5M could allow the Flames to augment the team in other ways. Third, if Backlund were selected, the Flames centres would include (as I would order them on the depth chart): Lindholm, Monahan, Bennett...In this centre-ice depth chart, Lindholm is Backlund’s replacement. Based on the two months we saw this past season, I think Lindholm could do it.
In conclusion, my strategy would be to protect the future of the team. For me, that means definitely protecting Lindholm, Monahan, Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Mangiapane and Dube. Depending on how Bennett plays this coming season, I would protect Bennett also. If this means Backlund is taken, I’d replace him with Lindholm and augment the roster in other ways with the $5M.