David Backes Should No Longer Be The Blues' Captain

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It is time for David Backes to be demoted from his role as captain of the St. Louis Blues.

This opinion will be unpopular, but it did not come lightly.

Backes’ most glaring problem is that he fails to come up with the correct answers to motivate his team for big games.

Let us start with the recent playoff failures. Not only was Backes a part of those failures, he was the captain and face of those failures.

First, like other players on the roster, his production decreases come playoff time. Backes averages .64 points per game in the regular season, but dips to .45 PPG in the playoffs. That’s nearly a 30% drop off in production. Contrast that with the last two Stanley Cup captains in Jonathan Toews and Dustin Brown.

Toews averages .90 PPG in the regular season and .87 in the playoffs, a 3.3% drop off. While Dustin Brown actually sees an uptick in production, averaging .55 PPG in the regular season and .59 PPG in the playoffs. That’s a 6.8% increase from the regular season to the playoffs. No wonder he has hoisted the Cup twice as a captain.

Take the interview below for example. Backes talks about not being able to make adjustments and solve Minnesota’s attack in the first round elimination in April.

Backes’ most glaring problem is that he fails to come up with the correct answers to motivate his team for big games.

Beyond that, any answer he does have comes in the form of bad penalties and trying to muck up the game. Take game 1 of last year’s playoffs against Minnesota, for example. After giving up an empty net goal, Backes takes a frustration penalty only to have Alexander Steen score a shorthanded goal seconds later. Had Backes not committed that penalty, the Blues may have still been in that game.

Someone needs to point out that the NHL has become a speed game, and the Blues are being left in the dust. There is no need to dump and chase when you can dart around the defense and keep possession in the zone.

It also lessens the need to playing extra physical for the faster team, keeping them less fatigued throughout the season and into the playoffs.

The Minnesota Wild, who eliminated the Blues from the playoffs in the first round this past season, finished last in hits per game at 16.1. The Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup, finished next to last with 16.5 HPG.

Backes’ 104 penalty minutes would not only have made him the penalty minutes leader on over half of the league’s teams, but if he had played for Minnesota or Chicago, Backes would have accounted for 14.3% and 17.4% of the teams’ penalty minutes respectively. For the Blues, who accrued 904 PIMs for the fourth highest in the league, he accounted for only 11.5% of the time in the penalty box.

It would seem his example of playing rough and riling up the team worked, as the Blues are the only team in hockey to have two players finish in the top 15 in PIMs last year (Backes and 4th line forward Ryan Reaves).

As was said in Remember The Titans, “Attitude reflects leadership, captain.”

However, you cannot demote Backes without a replacement. I will profile possible candidates as well as my personal choice for who should be the new captain.

Next: The Case For Alexander Steen

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Alexander Steen

Steen can make a compelling case as the leading contender for the role.

First, he has been an alternate captain since 2011, so he knows the responsibilities and the work that goes into being a leader on and off the ice.

Alex Pietrangelo

Pietrangelo is interesting because he is one of the few players on the roster to bring both youth and experience. Pietro will turn 26-years-old in January, during his 8th year in the NHL, all with the note.

He also has one of the longer contracts; carrying a $6.5 million cap hit through the 2019-2020 season.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Contractually locked up and proven youth can be a real asset. Pietrangelo has now “been around the block” a few times and can also relate to the younger players coming through the system. That has value.

He also fits the mold of what GM Doug Armstrong called the “young core” back on May 26th of this year:

“A lot of the conversations Ken and I had were we believe we’re fortunate to have two cores.” Armstrong said. “We have an aging core in their late-twenties to early-thirties and we have a young core in their lower to mid-twenties. So, I want to make sure that we’re servicing both of those cores.” “Understanding that the long-term look around this franchise is around (Jaden) Schwartz, (Vladimir) Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, (Kevin) Shattenkirk, and I think Jake Allen has a great career ahead of him.” Armstrong added. “So, we’re fortunate. We have good players in their thirties and we have some really good young players coming.”

Pietro is also a workhorse during the season. Averaging nearly 75 games played per year, he also averages over 25 minutes of ice time per game and finds ways to get in the shooting lane and block more than two shots per game.

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Lastly, Pietrangelo has also been an alternate captain (he and former Blue T.J. Oshie split the duties) so he already understands the responsibilities of the role.

That does not mean that there are not faults to Pietro’s game, however. He is still one of many Blues who see their performances drop in the playoffs. Pietrangelo averages .56 points per game in the regular season, but only .38 PPG in the playoffs, despite have nearly three more minutes of ice time per game in the playoffs than in the regular season.

Also, even though there are complaints that Backes takes too many penalties, an argument could be made the Pietro takes too few penalties, questioning his ability to rile up a team that needs a spark.

Speaking of spark, it is now time to talk about the offensive spark of our final candidate to take the title of captain for 2015-2016.

Next: The Case For Vladimir Tarasenko

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Vladimir Tarasenko

Tarasenko is the face of this franchise, largely the result of signing an 8-year, $60 million contract in the off-season at age 23.

One also has to be happy that after signing that contract, he sent out the tweet below:

happy to be with you and carry a note on my chest . Let's bring the cup to St.Louis!
— Vladimir Tarasenko (@tara9191) July 7, 2015

That is the kind of leadership speak the Blues should want from their most talented, and highest paid, player in the organization. It also would be nice to know that should he be named captain, he will likely be around for the next eight seasons.

He also says all of the right things to the media, such as this excerpt from an interview with NHL.com:

The more he plays this way, the more attention Tarasenko will draw. But he’s most interested in one goal and pleasing a fan base thirsting for team success. “If you think about your success, you’ll stop playing,” Tarasenko said. “It doesn’t matter how many goals you have. You need to make a next step. “Our city [has been] waiting for a Cup for a long time. I think we can do this.”

Tarasenko also performed admirably in the first round loss to Minnesota in April, scoring six goals in six games, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory in game 4 to tie the series at two games a piece. It could be argued that the only reason that series even made it to game 6 were a result of the fruits of Tarasenko’s labor and rookie goaltender, Jake Allen.

There are, however, arguments to be made against him being named captain.

The most talented player on the team should be focusing on hockey, for now.

First, although he has captained a team before (at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for team Russia), he has never done so at the professional level. It might be best to gain experience as an alternate captain before taking on full captain’s duties.

Second, Tarasenko is currently the third youngest player on the roster, older than only Jaden Schwartz and Dmitrij Jaskin (and Ty Rattie, assuming he makes the opening day roster). Although age is sometimes just a number, it can be a tough adjustment when the captain is that much younger than the rest of the roster.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Tarasenko is still a growing and ascending player who is learning the NHL game. It may be too soon to put the pressure of the captain’s “C” and all that comes with it. From personal appearances to pregame activities, the captain is not just a locker room presence. He is a public presence as well. The most talented player on the team should be focusing on hockey, for now.

What is the final verdict?

Next: Conclusion

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Conclusion

Alex Pietrangelo should be the next captain of the Blues.

Pietrangelo brings youth, experience, and stability to a role that needs all three of those things.

Although Steen is probably the most qualified, he is more part of the “aging core” that Armstrong mentioned getting away from during the off-season.

Tarasenko brings a lot of that “younger core” attitude that the team is moving toward, but at this point in his career he should continue on focusing on being the best on ice hockey player that he can be.

Pietrangelo brings youth, experience, and stability to a role that needs all three of those things. His relationship with both the “aging core” and “younger core” makes him an excellent choice to be the captain of the Blues this fall.

What say you Bleedin’ Blues Nation? Who do you think should put a “C” next to the note? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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