the Flames are not built for the playoffs. That is a fallacy the team used to to explain why they "underperformed" during the season. The Flames have not been built to be actual Stanley Cup playoff contenders since the 80's when they had 6 future hall of fame players.
I think the Wild would look long and hard at Backlund if he's made available. Their PK is abysmal and their 2/3 centers are producing at about the same level as Backlund... and they will have a ton of cap space opening up with the Suter and Parise buyout penalties dropping by about 6.5m each.
Wild are going after Brock Nelson! Marco Rossi / EK is their 1/ 2c! They won’t look at Backlund because they are going for Brock Nelson through trade or free agency! They aren’t trying to take on any money as they will give Kaprizov long term money also
I know it's bad, but I do think a change of scenery will be good for him, and with how quickly the cap is going to be rising, a 4.5m cap hit isn't going to be that bad. But I think such a move would make the team better right now without hurting the future. As rough as Graves has been, Bean and Miro make him look like Lidstrom and Acciari would be a nice add to the 4th line IMO, as we don't really have a young 4C-type coming up, unless Lipinski performs a miracle and gets himself a contract by June 1, but even then he won't be NHL ready by the time Acciari's deal ends
Graves needs to be with someone who is mobile and can pass. Hes slow and handles the puck like a grenade.
