Side note, I'll also weigh in and say I don't read a lot into the lines right now either. There are things I would change if I had my say but as far as the return game for Backstrom and Wilson I think the lines were almost as much about being able to announce them in the locker room before the game as they were anything else. That was an emotional play more than a logical one and I'm willing to hold off a bit before I say I'm sure that they're more determined to stick to what they feel they should be doing than what works.
Second side note (and kind of to the contrary) this idea that Backstrom can't be on the third line because they're paying him too much for that is goofy. They signed the contracts, that's in the past. Now the goal is to play them where they succeed. We've all been in agreement for a long time that part of Backstrom's contract is basically backpay for producing for a long time on a sweetheart deal, and the idea that he needs to do more (or even as much, really) to justify his cap hit is counter to the entire point of the contract.
I've said this for a long time and it's become no less true: if you want to treat your franchise players right and also remain competitive you can't keep looking at them as individuals, and you have to start making statistics in the aggregate (it's basically a Moneyball). You want to pay Backstrom for what he's done and Ovechkin for what he's somehow doing against all odds, that's honorable and worthwhile. To keep winning, though, you have to almost accidentally find them as second/third line players just because other shit is going down. Ovechkin is defying that trend and good for him, but with Backstrom and his injuries it seems much more predictable that outside of this reuniting of a long standing duo, the right move is to let him play in the shelter of people who have been doing just fine and let him ride that "secret weapon" slot when veteran savvy really matters.
