The David Backes contract situation with the Blues remains unresolved. The team reportedly offered Backes a contract not too long ago worth about $5.5 million a year for three years, but Backes and his agent declined. Since then, the two sides have been in contact but another offer hasn’t been extended. For the Blues, there are several different ways this situation could unfold.
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch accurately sums up how things could go between the Blues and Backes:
The Blues could re-sign Backes, who is making $4.5 million per year on his current contract, before the deadline, but if they do that and then fall again in the first round, how would bringing him back be received? They could trade him with his approval, but dealing your captain just two months before the playoffs could cause quite a commotion. Or the Blues could keep him past the deadline and decide whether to re-sign him after the season, though that would come with the risk of losing him with no compensation.
None of the options above jump out as the obvious solution. The Blues could re-sign Backes, but it sounds like his price might be a bit steep for what he’s currently providing. Rutherford also accurately points out that signing him now could be a mistake should the Blues again have a poor showing in the playoffs while waiting to figure things out could result in the Blues not receiving anything back for their asset should he hit free agency.
Doug Armstrong spoke about the situation, discussing that the team now has until the Spring to figure out what to do.
“I guess you could always see it playing out any way. The least likely scenario would be to trade him because we’re trying to win. A first-round pick does us no good when we’re going to this year’s playoffs. I think we’re going to be a good team and he’s a big part of being a good team. He’s our captain, he’s our leader. We’ve had the most points in the NHL over the last five or six years. I mean, he’s doing something right. If we didn’t want to keep him, we wouldn’t have talked to him in the first place. We’ve got now until March to find out where we’re at.”
At 31, Backes is at a difficult place in his career. His point totals since 2010-11 in all the non-lockout shortened seasons (62, 54, 57, 58) show a measure of consistency you won’t find in too many players. This season he has 28 points through 51 games, which is slightly below his production pace from the past few seasons, but a hot streak would bring him back to his averages.
Consistency aside, the Backes decision isn’t an easy one. Can he sustain his offensive totals with the style of game he plays? Can the Blues afford to hand out a fairly expensive contract to Backes and still maintain the rest of the lineup? Is this season’s slowing offensive numbers a sign of what’s to come?
There are a lot of questions, but unfortunately for the Blues, there are no easy answers.
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