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Originally Posted by Enoch Root
They don't have a 1st or a 2nd, and you are suggesting the smart thing to do would be to trade their #2 C at the deadline (thus ensuring the Islanders of a lottery pick)? Smart plan.
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In a league where continually having a full pipeline is extremely important to long-term success, then yes, trading away a player that is on an expiring contract, with no apparent hope of signing him, is the pragmatic thing to do. Especially if you can bring in another player who can fill the gap in the lineup, and gain assets while doing so. If they can find a player that can check off all the boxes they are looking for, they make the deal. The dumb deal would be to sit on Backlund, watch him walk in the summer for nothing, then go into next summer with Monahan as your only center under contract (counting Bennett and Lazar as wingers).
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The Flames are looking to strengthen their team, not trade their best players for magic beans, right after going all in on the current roster.
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It is highly doubtful that Treliving did what he did without first having a good idea what Backlund's demands are and what he would have to do with him. Treliving is a smart guy, which is why I believe he saw where this was going and has a couple of centers already targeted to act as a replacement for Backlund, while having an idea where he can score the most assets by selling certain players off. If Backlund were having a better season I would agree that the Flames would be best served sitting on him and trying to get him signed, but that isn't the case. Backlund is replaceable, and probably by someone already on the team. What the team needs is another center to slide into the #3 slot and provide some depth. If Treliving finds that, Backlund is gone. Treliving won't allow a good asset to get away for nothing. He's too smart for that.