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St. Louis Blues’ David Backes Won’t Fly Away

By Andrew Martin

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Apr 22, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; St. Louis Blues forward David Backes (42) scores a goal on Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) during the first period in game three of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Blues captain, David Backes, appears to be staying put, for now. One of his rumored destinations was a transfer to the Philadelphia Flyers by way of trade.

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Ron Hextall, Flyers GM, put that fire out at the end of last week, according to NJ.com. Hextall warned of believing everything you hear as not all of it amounts to truth. A common sentiment for a GM who either has no intention of trading for Captain Backes, or one who is holding his cards close to the chest. When asked about Backes’ trade interest he said, “I wouldn’t discuss that with you anyway, but you can figure that one for yourself based on my comments on the last year or so.”

Either way, rumors of Backes’ departure from the St. Louis Blues do not seem to be going away. Randy Miller of NJ.com reported the St. Louis Blues were interested in Flyers forward, Brayden Schenn, as the price for the 31-year-old Backes.

Apr 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn (10) and center Claude Giroux (28) celebrate winning against the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Islanders, 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Schenn is a 24-year-old center and a former no. 5 overall draft choice in 2009 of the Los Angeles Kings. Personally, I don’t see why the Flyers would make this move, unless they felt Backes could give them the physicality they need to truly separate themselves as the beasts of the east and make it to the Stanley Cup finals.

Schenn has played in 82 games in each of the last 2 seasons for the Flyers and tallied 41 points in 2013-2014, and 47 in 2014-2015. Backes had 58 points last season and 57 in 2013-2014, and has played in 72 or more games in all but one season (2012-2013) since 2007-2008.

If the St. Louis Blues wanted to move in a new direction with a younger talent this move would make sense. They would be losing a great deal of veteran leadership as well as a Captain.

Backes is in the final year of his contract, and at 31 may be looking for one last payday before the final years of his career. I would recommend a shorter deal, perhaps 5 years, with more money in the first 2-3 years of the deal, and the last 2 years heavily weighted with incentives based on games played, goals scored, etc.

Chelsea FC of the English Premier League has a contract policy that they will not offer multi-year contracts to players over 30-years-old. These players, whether they are club favorites or not, are typically offered 1-year deals at the end of each year if they are willing to remain with the club. That may not work in the NHL realm, but it’s worth discussing.

Last week, I wrote of more St. Louis Blues trade rumors. This time the possibility of sending Backes to Pittsburgh, Ottawa, or Boston.

My prediction is that Backes has a strong year with the St. Louis Blues in his new role. I believe this will be primarily on the 3rd line. If he excels at this role, and accepts it, his experience (not so much in the playoff wins department) and leadership can go a long way.

Next: St. Louis Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko Can Score 50 Goals

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