All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com
For my next player profile, I’ll be taking a look at David Backes’ 2018-19 season and what we can expect from him next year. Backes appeared in 70 games for the Bruins last season, in which he produced seven goals and 13 assists. He then played in 15 playoff games for the team on their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, through which he tallied two goals and three assists. Drafted in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, Backes has appeared in 928 career NHL games, over which he has produced 244 goals and 307 assists. He has also played in 82 career playoff games, in which he has recorded 17 goals and 22 assists. The 35-year-old center and wing has two seasons remaining on his five-year deal signed with the Bruins on July 1st, 2016 that is worth $30 million ($6 million AAV). He has spent the past three seasons with the Bruins after spending his first ten NHL seasons with the Blues, and he spent his final five seasons with St. Louis as their captain.
Backes is possibly my hardest player profile to write this year, as his future is perhaps the most up in the air. Will he be traded? It seems highly unlikely, but it’s still a possibility. Will he rebound at least a little and play in the NHL next season, or will he get buried in Providence to save $1 million on the cap? It’s hard to say which one of those is more likely, but it’s a safe bet one of them will happen and he won’t be traded. Backes has severely declined from the player he once was and struggles to keep up with the pace of today’s game. He spent most of last season on the Bruins’ third or fourth line, as he did not fare well when they put him higher in the lineup to try and squeeze some more production out of him. His contract is an albatross, with two seasons left at a $6 million cap hit as I mentioned above. He is far from worth that money now, as for starters he produced just 20 points last season. His possession numbers were surprisingly strong though, as he held a 54.5 Corsi-for percentage. Backes was fine in a bottom-six role, and particularly on the fourth-line, and he can still bring physicality to the lineup. He’s also defensively sound, and head coach Bruce Cassidy showed his confidence in him being so by having him start 52.2% of his shifts in the defensive zone. He’s also a heart and soul player, and is a great leader on and off the ice, as well as really well-liked and respected in the dressing room, which should count for something. Not the extra $5 million or so then he’s worth of his contract, but something.
As for what we can expect from Backes next season, it’s hard to say, as it all depends on where he ends up. If the Bruins leave him on their NHL roster, we can expect him to be primarily in a fourth-line role, and possibly be the team’s 13th forward most nights. There’s no way at age 35 and with the style of game he plays that he rebounds much at this point. What we saw last season is likely what we will continue to get, and at this point, we should just hope that he doesn’t decline much more, which is certainly a possibility. He may put up a few more points next season than he did last, but it’s hard to say and unfortunately, we can’t expect much anymore. The only thing I can say for certain is that he will bring the same veteran leadership he always does regardless of where he ends up, be that in the NHL with the Bruins or a different team, or in Providence of the AHL, and he will continue to be well-liked and respected by his teammates. I honestly feel bad for the guy, as he gets a lot of hate from fans and media alike because of his contract, but it’s not his fault. He just took the longest deal for the most money that he could get, which is what any smart player would do. But, the contract is truly terrible now due to how much he has declined, and the Bruins are in a bad cap situation, with just $7.3 million left to resign both Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. Be it burying him in Providence or finding a way to trade him without giving up too much (which is a highly unlikely scenario), I would assume something gets done to alleviate at least some of his cap hit by next season, as they desperately need the money to resign those two. But, as with everything else I’ve written lately, I guess we’ll have to wait and see until training camp rolls around in September.
Hockey Addict 