Confirmed Signing with Link: [BOS] David Backes (5 years, $6.000M AAV)
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Burt Reynolds
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This myth that David Krejci is injury prone is somewhat hilarious to me. He has had exactly one(1) season in which he missed more than 10 games to injury since he came into the league full time to start the 08-09 season. He partially tore his left MCL against the Blues in '15 and missed a chunk of time. His other injuries have either been ones that need surgery during the offseason and can be played through(his hip this year) or ones that cause him to miss games in the postseason(broken wrist in '10 against PHI),. Even with this hip injury this year he coasted to 60+ points and played all situations.
Also, Backes came in and called into the local radio station and expressly spoke about how he will be playing both wing and center spots. He was told he'll be playing on a line with Bergeron and Marchand at times when they need to clamp down, and he'll also be centering the 3rd line when Julien needs to shake it up a bit. I'm willing to bet you see Bergeron, Krejci and Backes at roughly 17-18 minutes a game each. Which will be more than enough.
bleedblue1223
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Both are natural to him. He's played both throughout his career, both during and prior to the NHL. He just played center more because of his shutdown abilities.
LetsGoBLUES91
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- Jan 8, 2013
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It's been 2 weeks and I still can't get over how bad of a signing this is. 36 million and 6 years for a 32 year old banger whose play has dropped off the past 2 years. Hopefully the same GM will give us a haul for Shatty.
I really hope they eventually stop moving the cap up.
I really hope they eventually stop moving the cap up.
Kranix
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Hahaha, I guess you're not the Blues guy who always staunchly defended this overpaid goon-crybaby.
burstnbloom
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1) its 5 years
2) Backes's zone start uptick the last two years tells me a ton about his numbers. I'm not too worried about it as he will likely wing one of the best possession lines in hockey and/or center a third line against lesser competition.
3) The Bruins have zero cap issues
4) Clearly they are not giving you a "haul" or he would have already been traded.
Dbrownss
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- Jan 5, 2014
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This is one reason I'm happy to see Backes go....now Boston can deal with clownshoe posts like this.
Enjoy
Beukeboom Fan
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It just seems "odd" to me that the Bruins "held the line" with 30 YO Loui Ericsson on contract term, but instead make a long term commitment to Backes that takes him to 37. Especially when LE's the better player IMO, and less likely to have his game deteriorate based on his style of play.
I can acknowledge that Sweeney defender's can point to LE's concussion as an area of concern, as well as Backes' ability to play a shut down center role as a positive for the team
I can acknowledge that Sweeney defender's can point to LE's concussion as an area of concern, as well as Backes' ability to play a shut down center role as a positive for the team
Dbrownss
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They will be disappointed with Backes then.....those brains are scrambled. He hasn't looked remotely the same after the Seabrooks hit
bearcountry17
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He looked pretty good in this years playoffs, no?
I think Backes is a damn near perfect fit for Boston. Julien will love him and probably use him similar to Eriksson, lots of icetime, all situations. Backes and Eriksson have different styles but are very simular in the way they score the majority of their goals come from standing in front of the net and are both are excellent defensive players.
Eriksson is a brain on skates, his IQ, anticipation, defenceive stickwork, ability to hang in front of the net, and soft hands to score from there are his strongest assets. Backes seems more like a bull on skates, North-south player with decent skill who would rather push the pace instead of adapting to it.
If Backes heads to the net and sticks around deflecting pucks and cleans up the garbage like he did in the playoffs for St. Louis he can easily put up 25+ goals playing with any of the Bruins 3 centers. Either that or can shift to 3rd line center to create the best 123 punch of 2way centers in the league with him, Bergeron, and Krejci.
Not a fan of the contract but I have always admired Backes' game from afar and am willing to wait and see how he performs before judging this deal.
I feel like a lot of people are writing him off for some odd reason. His playoff success this past season isn't something I would bank on, but he's still a solid 2nd line player, at worst. He can hold his own on any line, really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJQJP2rdReg
He's not going to light the world on fire with his shots, but he's money in front of the net, especially on the powerplay.
The deal might hurt in the last 2 to 3 years, but he's certainly not as bad as some people seem to make him out to be.
Dbrownss
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We've had 2 years to watch Backes. He isn't the same player he use to be. Doesn't mean hell be a disaster though
It depends on expectations honestly. He isn't as much of a physical force as he use to be. Last year we saw more of his hockey IQ then brute strength.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Eriksson's a different player, I'm not sure he's a "better" player than Backes. Backes puts up around the same amount of points and provides a host of intangibles Eriksson doesn't have. I would agree that Eriksson will probably have a gentler decline based on style of play, but isn't that one of the reasons why the Bruins went in another direction? They wanted to get tougher to play against?
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Backes' production has been very consistent over the course of his career. He's a 20+ goal scorer and usually good for 50 points (which I think he will easily get on the Bruins over the course of the next few seasons). Doesn't your point of Backes' shift in approach to the game temper some of the concerns about his durability and steep decline physically? I think people forget that Backes has a good mind for the game. He's not a goon on skates that lucks out when it comes to production. Those skills should translate well to a "kinder" role on Boston.
Dbrownss
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5x6 though....that the problem, especially with the declining concerns. That's alot to pay a 50pt player. As for durability, that's taken a big hit imo. Half of the year it seems he's nursing an injury
Backes on RW in Boston with a better center than St Louis has sounds a lot like the Jarome Iginla experiment a few years ago.
And if someone goes down he plays center due to his versatility.
bleedblue1223
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bleedblue1223
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I'm a Backes fan, love the guy. Would've loved him at 4 years, $20 million. I believe that final year or 2 in that deal would've been rough, but that's not my point. You just indicated it could be like Iginla, that's not what's it going to be like. Iginla even at the point where he was was still a better offensive player than Backes ever has been. Backes will likely get 45-50ish points IMO, less if he plays 3rd line center more than RW with Bergeron. He's just not the same bull that he used to be. Still a very good physical player, but trust us, it isn't the same. In some ways that is a good thing, but between playing less physical, and losing a step, his effectiveness is going down.
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I didn't say identical i said a lot like.
Physical right hand shot scorer. He doesn't need to post the exact numbers.
He'll be fine.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
That's the going rate for a UFA of Backes' ilk. That's more a product of the NHL's screwed up economics than Backes' value as player IMO. Lingering injury concerns or not, Backes still had a good year and finished strong with a tremendous playoff. He'll also have less wear and tear playing on the Bruins and in the Eastern Conference. I actually envision an uptick in production-at least for the next few years.
