St. Louis Blues: 5 Players the Blues Should Move To Keep Kevin Shattenkirk

David Backes

Might as well start this list off with a bang.  However, if you believe the rhetoric coming from the team and the player, a trade of David Backes or even not signing him to a new deal seems unlikely.

Backes is also in that category of player where not everyone would be horribly upset if he was no longer on the team, but nobody wants to see him in another uniform.  That is especially true if the uniform was a rival like the Chicago Blackhawks or Nashville Predators.

Cons of a trade/not re-signing:

Backes will almost certainly be cheaper to keep.  While almost every player thinks they should get an increase from their last deal, $4.5 million is about what Backes is worth.  You might even be able to talk him into taking a home-town discount with the incentive to help finish what he started.

The captain has only known the St. Louis Blues as his professional team and he has been the backbone of the core of the franchise for most of the last decade.  Backes is also incredibly involved in the community, which would make his departure even harder to swallow.

Backes also has a no-trade clause in his contract, so any deal has to be run by the player.  This makes not re-signing more of the option especially given the Blues’ injury woes in 2015-16.

Pros of a trade/not re-signing:

Backes is 31.  While he is still productive, he is essentially a third line player when the Blues’ roster is fully healthy.  Despite being a power forward, Backes only averages approximately 10 points more per season than Shattenkirk so it is not impossible to replace his offense.

Backes currently has a $4.5 million hit, which is the same as Shattenkirk’s current deal, so that would give a lot of room to increase Shattenkirk’s salary.

Next: Gunnarsson