Not a fan of handing out 6 year deals to second line 29 year olds. I really hoped the Flames would keep it in the 4-5 year range at the max. This is only slightly more money than I hoped they would pay so all in all it is an alright deal but I expected more from Treliving
Ryan Kesler got 6.875 for 6 years at 31yo (UFA)
Patrice Bergeron got 6.875 for 8 years 29yo
Paul Stastny got 7.0 for 4 years at 29YO (UFA)
Mikko Koivu got 6.75 for 7 years at 28yo
All of these were signed when the salary cap was at. If you feel Backlund is close to any of these guys, then this contract is both appropriate and I'd argue a decent deal for the Flames still.
Compared to those the deal looks great. Especially given the rise of the cap over the years.
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The guy gets buried started in the defensive zone against all the best lines around. He and his line carries the play despite that. That lets Gaudreau and Monahan have easier match-ups and more offensive zone starts.
This chart shows what I'm talking about
2nd Worst zone starts and toughest competition by a mile of the Flames centres and the best Corsi.
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Patrice Bergeron is 32, and is signed for 4 more years at 6.875 per.
Ryan Kesler is 33, and is signed for 4 more years at 6.875 per.
Mikko Koivu is 34, and is signed for 2 more years at 5.5 per (cap hit 6.75)
Mikael Backlund is 28, and is signed for 6 more years at 5.35 per.
Jonathan Toews is 29, and is signed for 5 more years at 10.5 per.
Those are the top 5 vote getters in the Selke for 2016-17. I’d say we got Backs at more than a pretty fair deal.
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Any push back on this deal comes from not understanding backlund's value or being accustomed to treliving homerun wizardry. If you don't fall into the first category, rest easy knowing that this is merely a "good" deal rather than an unbelievable deal.
Awesome! Really glad they locked him up! Would have preferred a 5 year deal, but the cap hit Is good, and he should still be useful in 6 years. The guy bleeds red, hopefully he retires a Flame
Good cap hit. Ideally I would have liked 5 years but I think the 6th is fair given the cap hit being low. Can't wait to watch him hoist the Cup as a Flame
This is a great signing. The club has the makings for genuine skill and depth at center for years now. It's been a long time coming, and this move almost completes the puzzle. If Jankowski can continue his progress, the top 3 centers are set for a long time.
One of my favourite Backs goals: In OT at the Dome against the Ducks in the playoffs two years ago.
Yup, that was a beauty. Also love the way the crowd absolutely exploded when that puck went in. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this stuff from him over the next few years.
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This is a really good deal, don’t know how anyone can say otherwise. A 50 point defensively ELITE centermen for that deal with the cap supposedly going to 80m? This is realistically the best we could have gotten. When I saw the rumours about 5x5 I thought that was insane, and it turns out it was. This is a great deal. Backlund probably will be slowing down towards the end but I think it won’t be until then. Players whose game is built around defense tend continue their strong play well into their 30s while guys built purely around offense tend to do the opposite. I think the chances of this ever looking like a bad signing are very slim, it likely would take bad injury luck
Yup, that was a beauty. Also love the way the crowd absolutely exploded when that puck went in. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this stuff from him over the next few years.
Also notable in that clip is maroon looking like a confounded moron and getzlaf whining to the refs after the goal.
Who is the last player that played their entire career as a Flame over anything like that length of time? Looking like that's his direction.
There are only two retired players who have played more that 400 games in the NHL, all with the Flames: Jim Peplinski (711) and Hakan Loob (450). Backlund is at 519.
Gio is the only active player who has played more games than Backlund, all with the Flames (731 and counting). Brodie is currently at 476 games played. Monahan is at 376.
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Not anymore - the salary cap is $80M and first liners are going to get $9m+ a year. New rule of thumb is about $1M for every 10 points. He just happened to have 53 points last year.
Good cap hit - would have liked to keep it at a 5 year term but I can live with 6.
Wow... very surprised by the subdued response here. Backlund is an exceptional skater... I don't have Stajan-esque concerns with him. He's a critical part of the team and obviously he is underappreciated.
Very happy about this signing. I have little doubt that he will be a top 3 center throughout as well as a top pair PK guy. Really happy Backlund is staying.
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