There are many scenarios about how to open up the required salary cap space for the Boston Bruins to sign their restricted free agents, but don’t think that there are any real comparable deals for David Backes.
As we near the beginning of the final month before hockey finally returns, the Boston Bruins are still after re-signing their two big restricted free agents and David Backes is supposedly the solution.
The Boston Bruins have something over $9 million in the salary cap space with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo unsigned. The Bruins would probably need to gather at least $2 million more in that cap space to safely re-sign both defensemen.
But there is one annoying stuff circling around the Bruins fanbase. Many of the Boston Bruins fans and part of the hockey media and hockey writers in Boston as well, have suggested that there are David Backes comparables.
Let’s take this tweet of Jimmy Murphy from the Boston Hockey Now network as an example:
Marleau, Clarkson, Lucic, Neal, and Callahan have all been moved this offseason while David Backes remains on #NHLBruins roster. At what point does Don Sweeney stop waiting for the perfect deal and finally free up the $6m in cap space next 2 yrs from Backes?@BOSHockeyNow
— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) July 30, 2019
David Clarkson’s deal has been traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Patrick Marleau has been shipped from Toronto to the Carolina Hurricanes. James Neal and even Milan Lucic have been moved. Tampa Bay Lightning traded away Ryan Callahan. And the Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney is still waiting for the ‘perfect deal’. David Backes needs to be moved right now, everyone can be moved!
If you somehow agree with these takes, you should strongly reconsider your hockey senses. Or just your senses for business. Firstly, yes, everybody can be moved, undoubtedly. If Connor McDavid is going to be shopped, there are going to be suitors for him (hard to believe, yet there it is!)
Secondly, these are not David Backes comparables. Okay, so let’s analyze it a bit further. David Clarkson has been mentioned; he is on the long-term injured reserve.
Is David Backes on the long-term injured reserve? Let me check first… No, he is not.
Can David Clarkson’s deal be David Backes’ comparable? NO.
Let’s put Ryan Callahan to the same category. Milan Lucic has been moved. James Neal has been moved too. What did the Edmonton Oilers get in return for Milan Lucic? James Neal. What did the Calgary Flames get in return for James Neal? Milan Lucic. Can the Bruins free up some salary cap space if they simply swap two struggling players with a similar cap hit? NO.
The last on the list is Patrick Marleau. Still, a very active player and no other heavy salary cap hit coming in return to the Maple Leafs for him. But, for what price? Yes, the Maple Leafs gave away the first-round draft pick.
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The Bruins are not as desperate to move David Backes as the Maple Leafs were with Marleau. Even without Marleau, they will find it difficult to re-sign Mitch Marner. The Bruins can easily find a way or two how to move the bricks around to re-sign both McAvoy and Carlo. The Boston Bruins are not paying a first-round draft pick for dumping David Backes.
James Neal, Milan Lucic, David Clarkson, Ryan Callahan, Patrick Marleau; all these are not David Backes comparables. From those five aforementioned, the closest to Backes was Marleau’s trade. But there is simple ‘no’ to the Bruins willingness to trade away a first-round draft pick.
If the Maple Leafs paid that price for Carolina taking the final year of his contract worth $6.25 million, the Bruins’ suitor would have to take another year at $6 million a season deal.
Remember, the Hurricanes didn’t keep Marleau, they bought him out right away. A buyout is no longer possible. So, let’s say, if the Boston Bruins traded David Backes, he would just need to spend a whole year there. Perhaps at some not so pleasant place, such as Ottawa. It’s just too late for such a deal like with Patrick Marleau. The Bruins will get more aggressive pursuing trading or simply getting rid of David Backes contract next year, ahead of the final year of his contract.
Until then, don’t bring David Clarkson or Nathan Horton as David Backes comparables. It’s not that realistic nor funny either.