Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Question: Why is Backlund always penciled in at the number two slot?
I really don’t understand the logic behind it as the second line should be about generating offense. I see Backlund as a great third line center playing in a shutdown down role and chipping in 30-35 points a season from that position. On the second line, I see him holding players back more than making them better. He isn’t a great distributor of the puck and he isn’t overly creative. He hustles and plays a great north-south game, but he isn’t a classic scoring center. I could see a possible Selke candidate, but only if he was relied upon to focus on the defensive side of the puck and allow the offense to come on its own. I see him more of a square peg on the 2nd line.
I think the 2nd line center role is ultimately more about Tkachuk than it is about anything. If Tkachuk gets saddled with a north-south center he’s going to top out as a 50 point player. Get him a guy that can create open ice and make some plays, and Tkachuk is going to thrive and become a big time scorer. I don’t think Backlund is a good fit there.
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I think until a guy like Jankowski shows he can step up and provide more offense than Backlund in a 2nd line role, you will continue to see him slotted in as the second line center on many depth charts.
You see Backlund as an elite shut down player that is best served on the 3rd line and while I agree that he is an elite shut down guy, he is also the best offensive 2nd line center right now. He's a 45-50 pt guy that drives his line and makes others around him better including Tkachuk. To me what holds that line back from producing more is Frolik not Backlund.