St. Louis Blues GM Wants Captain Backes For Life

Mar 14, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center David Backes (42) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the never-ending trade rumors surrounding St. Louis Blues captain David Backes this summer, it appears he may be sticking around.

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ESPN’s Craig Custance reported that Doug Armstrong has discussed extending Backes’ St. Louis Blues career past the end of his current contract which would see him become a free agent in 2016. Backes has been a key member of the Blues for his whole career. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2003 draft by St. Louis and made his debut for the Blues in the 2006-2007 NHL season.

I think it’s smart to keep Captain Backes in St. Louis past this season, but for the right price.

After just 5 years in the NHL he was made team captain. Backes’ leadership presence for the club has been a key part of its success. Granted, that success in the regular season hasn’t translated in the postseason, but his point totals have been a big part of the St. Louis Blues offense.

He totaled 58 points last season, and 57 in the 2013-2014 campaign. I think it’s smart to keep Captain Backes in St. Louis past this season, but for the right price. He is in the final year of a 5-year $22.5 million contract, but I wouldn’t expect another deal of this magnitude for Backes in St. Louis.

He is 31-years-old and approaching the latter portion of his NHL career. While he has anchored himself as a top-6 forward for the Blues in recent seasons, there is talk he may be demoted to the 3rd line for parts of 2015-2016. With young centers on the Blues roster such as Robby Fabbri, Jori Lehtera, and Paul Stastny, in the mix it may be time for Backes to drop further in the pecking order. While Stastny is only about a year younger than Backes, he represents another hurdle for the captain to climb in order to retain a top-6 forward slot.

Moving Backes to the wing is another option, but we’ll have to see if head coach Ken Hitchcock will entertain that idea when the season begins in a few weeks.

There have been trade rumors over the past few months which haven’t materialized. I reported on a potential deal with the Boston Bruins. This deal would make sense for both sides. If the Blues were to bring over David Krejci, a prospect, and a 1st-round draft choice, for David Backes, Doug Armstrong would be crazy not to pull the trigger.

Backes is who he is. He will provide goals, assists, and a leadership mentality for any team that wants him. For a team like Boston, he would add some veteran experience and toughness that would assert the Bruins as one of the more physical teams in the east.

Our very own “Captain America” is a key part of the heartbeat of the team, but should not be commanding huge dollars in a salary capped league such as the NHL. If Armstrong is truly trying to discuss long-term deals with Backes, perhaps an incentive-laden contract based on games played, assists, goals, etc., would be the best move.

It would be best to wait until the season is over to negotiate with the captain. If the Blues stumble in they playoffs in 2016 and fail to make it past the 1st round once again, maybe it is best to cut ties and let Backes ply his trade elsewhere. If that happens, the team would most likely go through massive changes on the roster as well as coaching staff and front office.

That being said, if there are big changes to the front office, Armstrong may not be around to see his captain remains a Blue for life.

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