[Signing] Backlund re-signs. 6 years, AAV $5.35M

[BloodFetish]

Just got home and read the news! Backlund is my favorite player, as his game-worn jersey hanging over my desk at work will attest! I am stoked!

I'll let others debate the merits of the deal. All I'll say is Backlund is the type of player you can win with. GFG!

[Ozy_Flame]

Excuse, we armchair GM's have a considerable level of control over this team.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Way to ruin the thread...

those comments are silly though...

i'd rather be married to giselle.... like there was ever a snowball's chance in hell of that happening

[edslunch]

Swedes age well

[Strange Brew]

I wonder what the ask was on a 5 year deal? $6 million AAV?

[taynton]

Fair annual for today, but I fear we will regret this in 3-4 years. I hope not, but these longer term deals seem to flip more than fire.

[jonkaupp]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

Everything you've written here is true for his last 3 or maybe 4 seasons. And it will likely be true for the next couple of seasons.

But for the next 6? I really hope so, but I'm not convinced. $5.35M/yr is a steep price for a defensive-minded third line centre on a team that lacks scoring depth.

A lot of people are saying this is good value for a second line centre, and I agree with that. I just have a difficult time seeing Backlund as a second line guy beyond the first couple of years of this contract. That's where the deal breaks down for me.

But I hope I'm wrong and he's putting up second line numbers for the next 6 years. Problem is he's barely doing that this year.

You’re right, Bergeron and Toews are definitely next level and shouldn’t be used as comparables. If Bergeron were a 28 year old heading for UFA with an 80m cap, he’d almost undoubtedly get 8m plus. So you can’t honestly use his contract as a comparable. And obviously Toews is 10.5m, almost literally twice as much. Backlund gets over 6 on the open market. This is a great deal.

Also you mentioned that Backlund likely won’t get 50 points again, but he’s barely under that pace right now, a slight uptick over the last 25 games and he’ll get there. Regardless, combined with his FANTASTIC defensive game, he is easily a 2nd line centre on most teams. If Mikael Backlund becomes your third line center then you have a very very good problem on your hands.

[AustinL_NHL]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

I'm a little surprised at how many people absolutely love this deal.

He's 53rd among centres in scoring this season. That's not likely to improve as he continues to age, and I suspect he has already hit his high water mark for points in the NHL. He will be on the wrong side of 30 for most of this contract. He's hit 50+ points once, and 40+ points only twice in his career. He is our second line centre this year, but only has 10 goals..........for a team that struggles to score, I'm not sure how well this is going to work out. His production is closer to that of a top-end third line centre, which he would be on a deeper team, but $5.35M/yr is too much for a third line guy.

I know scoring isn't everything, but you need it in that second line centre slot, and Flames could really benefit from additional top 9 scoring. The offensive production from Backlund will almost certainly decrease year over year on this contract. Not ideal.

The comparisons to Bergeron or Toews are laughable.

Sorry guys, I really like Backlund and really appreciate how much he loves being a Flame, but this term is too long and the $$ is too high for guy very unlikely to hit 50 points again in his career. We are upset with how much Brower makes on the third line. This contract could be worse than that for its last three years.

Yikes. Backlund's shooting percentage is the lowest it's been in 7 years, his oiSH% is the lowest it's been in 7 years, and his PDO is the lowest it's been in 7 years.

Despite having an incredibly unlucky season, he still ranks 56th among NHL centres in production and is still on pace for 48 points and yet you think he won't reach 50 points again? Yikes. Last season, he ranked 35th among centres in points and considering advanced stats tend to normalize after an unlucky season 99% of the time, the chances are Backlund will be back to producing the way he was last season either nearing the end of this season or next season.

However, Backlund's offense isn't why he's so important to us. Yes, it's great he produces very good offensive numbers, but his defense is as good as any player's in the NHL. He gets buried defensively facing opposing teams' top lines every night and absolutely dominates them night in and night out despite getting buried in defensive zone starts. He's among the elite of the elite defensively.

His contract extension is an absolute steal and anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't done their homework

[Kovaz]

Backlund's offensive numbers are also hurt by his poor on-ice shooting percentage (5.5%). His last 4 years have all been between 7.5% and 9.5%, so his 5v5 scoring is about 25% lower than it should be this year just from bad bounces and missed opportunities. Add a brutal powerplay to the list and he's still producing at a 48 point pace, which could easily turn into a 50-55 point pace if either of those things turn around a bit down the stretch.

Factor in his excellent work on the PK, excellent defensive play while deployed in a completely shutdown role, and his ability to get career seasons out of just about anyone you throw on his wing, and his impact on our ability to win hockey games is easily worth this contract.

[Macindoc]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

I'm a little surprised at how many people absolutely love this deal.

He's 53rd among centres in scoring this season. That's not likely to improve as he continues to age, and I suspect he has already hit his high water mark for points in the NHL. He will be on the wrong side of 30 for most of this contract. He's hit 50+ points once, and 40+ points only twice in his career. He is our second line centre this year, but only has 10 goals..........for a team that struggles to score, I'm not sure how well this is going to work out. His production is closer to that of a top-end third line centre, which he would be on a deeper team, but $5.35M/yr is too much for a third line guy.

I know scoring isn't everything, but you need it in that second line centre slot, and Flames could really benefit from additional top 9 scoring. The offensive production from Backlund will almost certainly decrease year over year on this contract. Not ideal.

The comparisons to Bergeron or Toews are laughable.

Sorry guys, I really like Backlund and really appreciate how much he loves being a Flame, but this term is too long and the $$ is too high for guy very unlikely to hit 50 points again in his career. We are upset with how much Brower makes on the third line. This contract could be worse than that for its last three years.

He has very low mileage for his age due to being a late bloomer and having multiple injuries earlier in his career. I don't think he has peaked yet, and I would much rather have him for 5.35M/yr until he's 35 than someone like Lucic at 6M/yr until he's 35. Yes, Toews is the better player, but he's earning nearly twice as much. And what team in the NHL wouldn't want Bergeron? This cap his is very comparable to other shut-down centres with similar ages and counting stats, see multiple previous posts. And Backlund does the heavy D-zone lifting more than any of them.

Yes, I was hoping for a lower cap hit and term, given Treliving's previous track record of re-signing players, but this contract is fair to both the team and the player.

Personally, I think Backlund may have been mentally weighed down a bit by the ongoing contract talks, and hopefully he can relax a bit now. His shooting percentage is much lower this year than the previous five seasons, and I think that has been more of a mental issue than a physical issue this year.

[Brad Marsh]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Points to date
Bergeron: 51 (having an excellent year offensively though. He only had 53 points all of last season)
Toews: 37
Backlund: 34

Offensive zone deployment
Bergeron: 58%
Toews: 58.3%
Backlund: 43.6%

Corsi for %
Bergeron: 56.9%
Toews: 57.8%
Backlund: 55.2%

Corsi for relative to teammates (on vs. off the ice)
Bergeron: 5.4%
Toews: 6.2%
Backlund: 4.7%


An unreal offensive year from Bergeron aside, that all looks relatively comparable to me. Plus, Backlund is buried in the defensive zone compared to the other two, so a slight drop in Corsi numbers compared to them should be expected.

Again, he does the heavy lifting for the team defensively while still putting up good offense. He's an essential piece of this team.

I agree that he's an essential part of the team.

Towed has 659 regular season points. Bergeron has 722. Backlund has 262. Sorry, one of these are not the same as the others.

I would agree that Backlund could be in the same conversation from a defensive centre perspective, but in no way has Backlund had anywhere near the offensive production that these players have had.

Comparing peak seasons: Backlund 53 points, Toews 76, and Bergeron 73.

The only reason Backlund is on pace this year with Bergeron is because Begeron himself is in that 32 plus age range where offence really starts to drop off, but he's dropping off from consistent 60+ point seasons, whereas Backlund will be dropping off of one 50+ point season.

Look I think Backlund has been excellent for the Flames. And I think all of us will really like the first couple of years of this contract, I just think the term is a couple of years too long.

I fully believe someone else would have paid him this as a Free Agent, but that doesn't automatically mean that it's a great deal and that the Flames should have.

[Corral]

might be a bit of rich and long contract for Backlund in the later years - however the Flames didn't badly overpay and more importantly its just one more sign this team is putting all out there over the next 5 years or so - which is nothing but good news. It is also nice to have a couple lifers around here.

[jonkaupp]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

Yikes. Backlund's shooting percentage is the lowest it's been in 7 years, his oiSH% is the lowest it's been in 7 years, and his PDO is the lowest it's been in 7 years.

Despite having an incredibly unlucky season, he still ranks 56th among NHL centres in production and is still on pace for 48 points and yet you think he won't reach 50 points again? Yikes. Last season, he ranked 35th among centres in points and considering advanced stats tend to normalize after an unlucky season 99% of the time, the chances are Backlund will be back to producing the way he was last season either nearing the end of this season or next season.

However, Backlund's offense isn't why he's so important to us. Yes, it's great he produces very good offensive numbers, but his defense is as good as any player's in the NHL. He gets buried defensively facing opposing teams' top lines every night and absolutely dominates them night in and night out despite getting buried in defensive zone starts. He's among the elite of the elite defensively.

His contract extension is an absolute steal and anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't done their homework

Is there a 2nd line center in the league that gets buried with more defensive zone starts than Backlund? And then somehow turns in the Corsi he does? He’s really terribly underrated defensively around here. Had to argue with a bunch of posters a couple weeks ago that his game has not fallen off defensively, for some reason people here wanted to say it was a reason to not sign him. Crazy

[flame^thrower]

This made my day. Absolutely love Backs and couldn't be happier that he signed this deal. Extremely important player to this team. Go Flames Go!!!!!!

[dino7c]

What is the alternative? Make the team worse for the next 3 years so we don't regret a deal in 5 or 6 years?

The next few years in Calgary are what matters right now...a slightly overpaid play six seasons from now is the least of my worries.

At some point you need to take a shot

[jonkaupp]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

I agree that he's an essential part of the team.

Towed has 659 regular season points. Bergeron has 722. Backlund has 262. Sorry, one of these are not the same as the others.

I would agree that Backlund could be in the same conversation from a defensive centre perspective, but in no way has Backlund had anywhere near the offensive production that these players have had.

Comparing peak seasons: Backlund 53 points, Toews 76, and Bergeron 73.

The only reason Backlund is on pace this year with Bergeron is because Begeron himself is in that 32 plus age range where offence really starts to drop off, but he's dropping off from consistent 60+ point seasons, whereas Backlund will be dropping off of one 50+ point season.

Look I think Backlund has been excellent for the Flames. And I think all of us will really like the first couple of years of this contract, I just think the term is a couple of years too long.

I fully believe someone else would have paid him this as a Free Agent, but that doesn't automatically me at that it's a great deal and that the Flames should have.

Lol how is Bergeron ‘dropping off from 60 point seasons’. He’s literally having his best offensive season of his career. Bergeron is an example of why that theory doesn’t work so well when assessing defensively elite players

And someone would have paid him significantly more as a free agent. Not the same, way more.

[CrazyCaper]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

In regards to concern about Backlund's age toward the end of his contract. According to this article there are currently 44 forwards aged 34-35 in the NHL. That's not a staggeringly high, or low number. Still, its proof that their is room for veterans on every team in the league. So long as the Flames don't tie up a lot of money on older players in the next few years, Backlund's term shouldn't be a problem.

Exactly. Look north for an example of what happens when you try to let your youth learn on the fly. You need a balance of youth and experience throughout your line-up. Backlund will be a good mentor for those up and coming kids in the next 3-5yrs. Happy to have him in Flames silks for now and in the future.

[dammage79]

Cannot complain about this deal. Perhaps a year too long in the tooth but he'll be a Flame until he is 34. Defensive center like him are still killing it at 32 and 33 so this is great.

I was listening to the fan in the work truck when Kerr announced it literally as he began his segment with Duha, cannot argue with anything they said. Which was they had to sign him.

Then they had Treliving on and he pretty much said they now have all the C depth they need for a little ng time with Monny, Backs, Janko and whoever jumps up the ranks.

Said if backs went to market he'd have gotten paid way more but they wanted him a flame and of course he wanted to stay. So they started negotiations with an already positive framework.

They also alluded to the idea the Flames may have wanted less term but to nab him at that cap hit at the cost of an extra year, it was worth it.

Looking at that structure of the deal, I think it's smart, they're leaving plenty of room to improve other parts of the roster and having enough cap to get Janko and more importantly Tkachuk Inked.

Also, over the span of six year of backs contracts he's only eating up and extra million or so over what he makes now so the cap loss is negligible.

[FireGilbert]

Yay!

[Buff]

Not every player is paid to put pucks in the net.

Backlund's value is on the defensive side of the game.

I like this deal.