Player Discussion David Backes

[Mount Kramer Cameras]

My biggest concern is that he hasn't developed chemistry with a single player thus far. He always seems to be the odd man out.

Perhaps he needs to play down the middle.

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

 

[Dr Hook]

the question is, like Steve Austin, can we rebuild him, stronger, faster, better than he was before?

 

[EverettMike]

the question is, like Steve Austin, can we rebuild him, strong, faster, better than he was before?

 

[Dr Hook]

If only- Backes winning the scoring title in the last year of his Bruins contact

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

the question is, like Steve Austin, can we rebuild him, stronger, faster, better than he was before?

Luckily for us, with every year he ages he should become both faster, and less likely to be hurt. So I'm not that worried tbh.

 

[CDJ]

No, Backes is making himself look bad. I don't have to do almost anything. And 3/4's of the board agrees fwiw.

Bergeron and Marchand play the PK almost more than any F we have? Why? When you answer the why, you'll see how those dudes earn every penny of what they're paid, and probably deserve more. THOSE are elite 2 way players. Btw Loui also played 1:51 per game on the PK (Backes gets his 30 seconds...)

And if they hit the open market guess what- THEY WOULD GET MORE


You keep trying to compare guys that hit the open market to guys who didn't....it's hilarious. If brad hit UFA he's making 8.5 minimum. 6 really isn't elite money anymore, I don't know why people think it is. Just because Marchand in hindsight made a dumb fiscal decision doesn't mean we should expect star players for 6...especially when they are coming from UFA

Just because the most dangerous PK tandem in the league plays more on the PK than him doesn't take away from his two way game btw.

You keep trying to discredit him by saying he doesn't play that much on the best PK unit in the league. It's not a great argument when they save his time for more opportune situations and roll out 3 of the better pkers of the past decade out there in Bergeron/Marchand/Moore and then have a slot where an effective 4th liner in Nash/schaller eat some time And then Krejci/Backes as needed who have been proven to be useful penalty killers in the league


Just because a guy isn't on the pk doesn't mean he's not a responsible 2 way player. We'll see who is out there in crunch time again

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

CDJ, honest question:

If Sweeney awoke from the cave he sleeps upside-down from the ceiling from, and you handed him a time machine, do you think he gives these players the same deals/or trades for them:

Backes
Beleskey
Hayes

Be honest. Right now today you think he gives Backes 6 for 5 (thanks for pointing that out) if he could go back? This is a player with a legit chance to be playing somewhere on the 3rd line before the playoffs start. You know Cassidy has that in him.

 

[CDJ]

....just because you keep saying it's 6/36 doesn't make it true

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

yes yes, 6 for 5. Does he do it again?

 

[CDJ]

I've already said it's not a good contract and was never going to be a good contract. That does nothing to prove what I've been saying wrong though.

You initially said he had lost several steps when he is the same player as he was when he signed the contract. And then you continuously try to discredit him as a player or manipulate the argument i make. It has nothing to do with the contract. He got market value. That's UFA. They are almost exclusively bad contracts. It has to do with you acting like all Im saying he brings to the table is leadership and conveniently leaving out everything else, and then trying to discredit the everything else with nonsense points like the guy who wins selkes or the guy who leads the league in SHG or the guy who literally built a career as a pker plays more SHTOI than him so he isn't a solid 2 way player. I have a problem with that. It's not grounded in reality.

 

[bp13]

Here's the reality. Backes has been what he usually is. The problem is that the team needs more than what he's actually capable of doing at this point in his career. So to me, it's not a Backes issue. It's a team problem and one that the guy they've decided would be part of the solution is actually miscast in that role as he's not that kind of player.

Bingo.

I want to take a minute here to pat myself on the back for calling this a bad signing from jumpstreet. I didn't realize it would be this bad this fast, but I guess it is. I don't get much right so I'm taking my victory lap on this one. This was a bad contract in money and a terrible one in term.

As for how many steps he's lost, it almost doesn't matter. I'd argue that if you forgot what he used to be, he's not a $6M player right now. Players on pace for 44 points who are consistently a step behind their linemates regardless of who their linemates are are not $6M players. And the leadership stuff is just an excuse...you want to throw him a few extra bucks for experience fine, but that doesn't add up to $6M.

This was a contract that was intended to pay dividends the first few years before he reached a potential breaking down point. I'd argue it's not paying dividends now, at all. And lest anyone suggest it's defensible because he's "here for the playoffs", that isn't a good look on Sweeney to come off two playoff misses in a row, supposedly be developing for the future and throw a bad contract at a guy because he's a "playoff guy". Talk about planning for a longshot.

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

Bingo.

I want to take a minute here to pat myself on the back for calling this a bad signing from jumpstreet. I didn't realize it would be this bad this fast, but I guess it is. I don't get much right so I'm taking my victory lap on this one. This was a bad contract in money and a terrible one in term.

As for how many steps he's lost, it almost doesn't matter. I'd argue that if you forgot what he used to be, he's not a $6M player right now. Players on pace for 44 points who are consistently a step behind their linemates regardless of who their linemates are are not $6M players. And the leadership stuff is just an excuse...you want to throw him a few extra bucks for experience fine, but that doesn't add up to $6M.

This was a contract that was intended to pay dividends the first few years before he reached a potential breaking down point. I'd argue it's not paying dividends now, at all. And lest anyone suggest it's defensible because he's "here for the playoffs", that isn't a good look on Sweeney to come off two playoff misses in a row, supposedly be developing for the future and throw a bad contract at a guy because he's a "playoff guy". Talk about planning for a longshot.

This time a million. Take all the rest out of the equation, we always circle back to this. He's like a fish out of water on way too many nights here, and there's not a lot of reason to expect that to improve as he makes it to years 3-4-5 of the deal.

 

[bp13]

CDJ, honest question:

If Sweeney awoke from the cave he sleeps upside-down from the ceiling from, and you handed him a time machine, do you think he gives these players the same deals/or trades for them:

Backes
Beleskey
Hayes

Be honest. Right now today you think he gives Backes 6 for 5 (thanks for pointing that out) if he could go back? This is a player with a legit chance to be playing somewhere on the 3rd line before the playoffs start. You know Cassidy has that in him.

Every one of those deals is a bad one and surely he wouldn't repeat them. Nor the Liles deal, the Hayes trade, the Irwin signing, keeping Loui for a playoff run. All bad choices.

The problem with the Backes deal which makes it the worst, IMO, is that the term has the real chance of creating cap issues on a team that might be young and good in 3 years. They went after a PR splash when they couldn't land a Dman and gambled that Backes was strength down the middle that would net out as better team defense. It was a bad strategic move right away, and that contract sucks.

 

[Over the volcano]

It only takes one game for the pitchforks to come out.

Thought he has looked real good since Cassidy has taken over.

 

[chizzler]

Every one of those deals is a bad one and surely he wouldn't repeat them. Nor the Liles deal, the Hayes trade, the Irwin signing, keeping Loui for a playoff run. All bad choices.

The problem with the Backes deal which makes it the worst, IMO, is that the term has the real chance of creating cap issues on a team that might be young and good. They went after a PR splash when they couldn't land a Dman and gambled that Backes was strength down the middle that would net out as better team defense. It was a bad strategic move right away, and that contract sucks.

We can lump his and Krejci's together.

 

[bp13]

We can lump his and Krejci's together.

Except Krejci actually controls the play and effects each game. I'm not arguing I love his contract, I don't. But I would MUCH rather pay Krejci his deal and keep him than do the same for Backes. Krejci still has nights where he can dominate. Backes rarely has nights when you see him.

 

[CDJ]

It only takes one game for the pitchforks to come out.

Thought he has looked real good since Cassidy has taken over.

Notice how the thread was silent for that time. Then a loss happens....and then the levees break.

Then he'll get like 7 points in 9 games, it will be silent in here, and then he'll go -2 in a loss and be whipped for having one of the worst contracts in the league again. Rinse and repeat.

Nothing new on the boards

 

[bp13]

It only takes one game for the pitchforks to come out.

Thought he has looked real good since Cassidy has taken over.

Call these pitchforks if you want but that's complete BS. I've been critical of this contract all season, win or lose. Was a bad signing and it's not paying dividends. I'm sure he's a great guy but the GM screwed up here.

 

[CDJ]

Call these pitchforks if you want but that's complete BS. I've been critical of this contract all season, win or lose. Was a bad signing and it's not paying dividends. I'm sure he's a great guy but the GM screwed up here.

Is it BS? Because when he was playing well before the loss it got awfully quiet in here.

 

[bp13]

Notice how the thread was silent for that time. Then a loss happens....and then the levees break.

Then he'll get like 7 points in 9 games, it will be silent in here, and then he'll go -2 in a loss and be whipped for having one of the worst contracts in the league again. Rinse and repeat.

Nothing new on the boards

This is wrong. The Rumors thread and the Sweeney thread spent plenty of time dissecting the Backes issue in the months leading up to the deadline. It's been a topic all year.

For crying out loud Neely called him out on the radio a month ago. NEELY! The guy was under a rock for a year and even he chimed in on Backes' struggles.

 

[CDJ]

This is wrong. The Rumors thread and the Sweeney thread spent plenty of time dissecting the Backes issue in the months leading up to the deadline. It's been a topic all year.

It HAD been a topic. Then he was playing well and it wasn't. And now it is again because he had a bad game in a loss

It's just interesting- you see people ignore the good and obsess over the bad, which has been happening a lot less than the good since the firing id say. It's almost like he's not responsible for it if he's playing well but he is responsible for it if he isn't

 

[KnightofBoston]

My biggest concern is that he hasn't developed chemistry with a single player thus far. He always seems to be the odd man out.

Perhaps he needs to play down the middle.

I think that's exactly what it is - my biggest gripe with julien was his resistance to put players where they obviously should be - and if he ever did make the switch it was always too late (I firmly believe his decision to saddlery Bergy and Marchand with Jagr and play Seguin on the third line instead of Horton who had a dislocated shoulder cost us a second cup and I'll stand by that)


And now Cassidy is guilty of that too to a degree, I really think Pasta needs to be with Bergeron and Marchand, and backes should center the third line. He looks way more comfortably at center and it would give us a lot more depth and balance in the line up

 

[Over the volcano]

This is wrong. The Rumors thread and the Sweeney thread spent plenty of time dissecting the Backes issue in the months leading up to the deadline. It's been a topic all year.

For crying out loud Neely called him out on the radio a month ago. NEELY! The guy was under a rock for a year and even he chimed in on Backes' struggles.

This thread went totally quiet for the last two weeks - then one bad game and BOOM we're all back at it this morning

 

[bp13]

This thread went totally quiet for the last two weeks - then one bad game and BOOM we're all back at it

Hey maybe that is the case...I'm sure that's human nature.

I'm just concerned with defending my position and I've had it all year regardless of wins or losses. It was a very risky/bad signing that was intended expressly to pay early dividends, and it has not. I don't blame the player here nearly as much as the GM, which is likely why all the negative Backes talk is contained within the Sweeney thread. the player has simply reached a point in his career, so there's only so much I fault him. Clearly effort isn't an issue for that kind of guy.