Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle
I'm not sure if I posted these thoughts, but I'll completely admit that my perspective on Backlund was a the Flames must trade and move on perspective at some point prior to the deadline this year.
That perspective wasn't formed from any dislike or undervalue of the player. All the amazing things said about him so far in this thread, I fully agree with, and I actually believe he's one of the few Flames who elevates his performance in meaningful and playoff games. So I figured we'd be a worse team with out him. My opinion to move on from him was driven from the simple belief that he would be getting 4+ years on his next deal, and north of $5M per (clearly my skills at reading the player market, are not strong).
I simply didn't think the Flames could afford to go term and that dollar value on a player that isn't a slam dunk first line player. But at this term and $ value, I couldn't be happier to have him back! Also, no brainer captain choice given he's signed.
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Well said. These were my initial thoughts as well; I certainly didn't mean to stir the pot unnecessarily. The term and value on the Backlund extension seem like a win, however I had/have concerns that the team isn't moving beyond the old culture despite a brand-new front office and repeated dialogue all summer surrounding a new look.
Probably stems from my own disappointment that more steps weren't taken this offseason to start fresh and has less to do with Backlund as a player or leader.