As a pending unrestricted free agent, the prospect of David Backes re-signing with the St. Louis Blues doesn’t seem too promising as July 1 approaches.
At the age of 32, Backes has played his entire NHL career so far in St. Louis. As the Blues’ captain, he scored 21 goals and 45 points in 79 games during the regular season and then added seven goals and 14 points in 20 playoff games, as St. Louis made it to the Western Conference Final.
When speaking about Backes in recent weeks, Blues GM Doug Armstrong has said re-signing the veteran forward is a priority, but doesn’t want a deal that may hamstring the organization down the road, and in a league where speed is becoming such a prized quality.
Backes is at the end of a five-year, $22.5 million contract. In conversation with Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Armstrong reiterated the organization would like to bring Backes back, but again, the deal has to fit for the organization as well as the player.
Army: "We're willing to invest a little bit of 'thank you' money but it has to make sense. He's earned the right ... but only to a level.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 18, 2016
Army cont'd: "As I said, it's got to work for David and it's got to work for us. We haven't been able to find that common ground right now."
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 18, 2016
Backes is one of five pending UFAs with the Blues. Troy Brouwer, who is 30 years old and coming off the best post-season of his NHL career with 13 points in 20 games, also headlines that list.