After helping the St. Louis Blues come close to the Stanley Cup, David Backes doesn't appear set on testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent come July 1, preferring instead to re-sign with the club.
Backes said there's "no question" he wants to return. #stlblues
The 32-year-old is coming off a five-year deal that carried an average annual valuation of $4.5 million, and propped up his value by contributing seven goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games in 2016.
A second-round pick in 2003, Backes - who was named captain back in 2011 - has played all 727 games of his career in St. Louis, with 206 goals and 254 assists to his credit.
Whether the two sides can reach common ground, while still ensuring the club can take care of younger players in need of new deals in the coming years remains to be seen.
After helping the St. Louis Blues come close to the Stanley Cup, David Backes doesn't appear set on testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent come July 1, preferring instead to re-sign with the club.
Backes said there's "no question" he wants to return. #stlblues
The 32-year-old is coming off a five-year deal that carried an average annual valuation of $4.5 million, and propped up his value by contributing seven goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games in 2016.
A second-round pick in 2003, Backes - who was named captain back in 2011 - has played all 727 games of his career in St. Louis, with 206 goals and 254 assists to his credit.
Whether the two sides can reach common ground, while still ensuring the club can take care of younger players in need of new deals in the coming years remains to be seen.
The Montreal Canadiens defenseman is spending some time in his hometown of Toronto, and took part in Blue Jays batting practice Saturday, clad in full uniform complete with a No. 76 'Subbanator' jersey.
After helping defeat the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals, the San Jose Sharks defenseman made a donation to Athletes for Animals, a charity kick started by David Backes and his wife Kelly.
In recognition of the Blues having a great season, I donated 2500$ to the David and Kelly Backes charity @A4A_org#donateifyoucan
The Los Angeles Kings aren't tossing cold water on a report suggesting a new captain will soon be named.
When the puck drops on the new season, it's believed someone other than Dustin Brown will be wearing the 'C', as the club wants to go in a "different direction" with their captaincy following two straight early playoff exits, TSN's Frank Seravalli reported Friday.
Brown could not be reached for comment. A front office executive did not dispute the item but objected to an interpretation of the news, stating, via text, that Brown had not been 'stripped' of anything.
The Kings, also, would not confirm if the new captain would be (Anze) Kopitar, who would be starting an eight-year contract worth $80 million this upcoming season.
Brown has served as captain since 2008, and raised the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014. He remains under contract with the Kings until 2022, and is still owed over $35 million ($5.875 million per year) over that time.
Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will make their first appearances in the Stanley Cup Final in the city where it all began.
The veteran centers, who will try to help give their San Jose Sharks a Game 1 win over the Penguins on Monday, were selected first and second overall at the NHL Draft in Pittsburgh back in 1997.
"I think my brother sent me the picture of me and Patty together in Pittsburgh," Thornton said Friday, according to Jimmy Durkin of The Mercury News. "I've known Patty a long, long time. It started, it was the old building at the time, the Igloo. Not as much history as the new building but it'll be fun to go into Pittsburgh."
Thornton was selected first by the Boston Bruins, and traded to San Jose eight years later, while Marleau has been with the Sharks his entire career, despite rumblings in recent years the team was looking to deal him elsewhere.
Over the course of their careers, Thornton and Marleau have combined for 65 points in 66 regular-season games against the Penguins, with the latter having more games played based on starting his career in the Eastern Conference.
The Civic Arena, where the 1997 draft was held, was replaced by the Consol Energy center at the beginning of the 2010-11 season.
Debate abounds whenever a Canadian roster is assembled for a major international tournament, with outcries over egregious omissions and claims the Great White North could field multiple teams and win all the medals.
The same was true Friday as the 2016 World Cup squad was named, and even though significant talent is being funneled towards the gimmicky North American team - made up of both Canadian and American players who will be 23 years old or younger as of Oct. 1 - there still remains a bevy of options when it comes to naming a "B" roster.
Here's a 23-man team that would hold its own against any other in Toronto when the puck drops on the World Cup in September, with a couple notes for each position.
Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers
Yes, Fleury has taken a back seat to Matt Murray during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he - like Luongo - had a tremendous regular season and remains a high-end option in net.
Jones gets a nod based on his stellar play for the San Jose Sharks, who could very well be hoisting the Cup in a couple weeks.
Defense
Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche Jay Bouwmeester, St. Louis Blues T.J. Brodie, Calgary Flames Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
Six of these players ranked in the top-20 in total points among defensemen this past season: Letang (3rd), Giordano (6th), Subban (12th), Barrie (13th), Seabrook (14th), and Brodie (18th).
Bouwmeester gets a nod based on his international experience and in the interest of maintaining balance among right and left-handed shots.
A case could be made for several of these players to be on the main roster, and this group could stack up against any other defense corps in the tournament.
Forwards
Derick Brassard, New York Rangers Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers Mike Hoffman, Ottawa Senators Ryan Johansen, Nashville Predators Milan Lucic, Los Angeles Kings James Neal, Nashville Predators Ryan O'Reilly, Buffalo Sabres Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks Brayden Schenn, Philadelphia Flyers Patrick Sharp, Dallas Stars Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators
While it's hard to argue with the list of talent on Canada's main roster, the fact that Hall and Perry were left out in the cold is straight up baffling.
All of these 13 forwards ranked in the top-60 in NHL scoring this past season, and none recorded fewer than 55 points.
In short, this 23-man roster would stack up against any and every team at the World Cup, including Team Canada.
And in a tournament that features makeshift North American and European teams, why not let these guys play, eh?
The fact that a Pittsburgh Penguins team built around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is appearing in its first Stanley Cup Final in seven years speaks to the level of depth and amount of good fortune needed to succeed in today's NHL.
Thanks to some impressive on-the-fly retooling by second-year general manager Jim Rutherford, the Penguins have been able to roll out four effective forward lines through the playoffs. And while the defense has seen its share of issues, it's a new-look bottom pair that might prove to be the difference in a series against the San Jose Sharks.
Here's a look at three line combinations that will decide the Penguins' fate in the Stanley Cup Final.
'HBK'
One of the big stories of the playoffs so far has been Pittsburgh's 'HBK' line, and not simply because of the tie-in with former WWE superstar Shawn Michaels.
The trio of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel is technically listed as the Penguins' third line, but they've played like a top unit for weeks now, outscoring all teammates not named Crosby or Malkin.
Player
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
Phil Kessel
18
9
9
18
Evgeni Malkin
17
4
11
15
Sidney Crosby
18
6
9
15
Nick Bonino
18
3
12
15
Carl Hagelin
18
5
7
12
The line was created in light of an injury suffered by Malkin late in the regular season, and the chemistry developed coupled with the Russian center's return has given head coach Mike Sullivan the ability to deploy three legitimate scoring lines.
The opposition can only keep so many weapons from firing, and with attention duly paid to Pittsburgh's two elite centers, the HBK line will need to keep dropping sweet chin music in order for the Penguins to achieve their ultimate goal.
Kunitz - Malkin - Rust
In Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bryan Rust drove to the net like a car fresh off the lot, scoring both of his team's goals - with several other golden opportunities along the way - in the series-clinching victory.
The young right winger has found himself on a line with Malkin and Chris Kunitz, a makeshift second line created upon the center's return from injury, and a combination that Sullivan did well to stick with despite some ineffective play early in its tenure.
As the following chart displays, Kunitz led all players in terms of possession over the course of the Eastern Conference Final, with Rust and Malkin not far behind.
The success of this line late in the series against Tampa Bay, and particularly in Game 7, will make the Sharks question their defensive deployment, because, as has already been stated, there's only so much coverage to go around.
Cole - Schultz
A season-ending injury suffered by Trevor Daley in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final has brought Justin Schultz from the NHL's basement all the way up to hockey's biggest stage.
The former Edmonton Oiler, who was added prior to the trade deadline, had not seen NHL playoff action prior to this season, and is averaging only 13 minutes of ice time through nine postseason games.
Schultz did, however, record a pair of assists against the Lightning, and has been a positive possession player with a Corsi rating of 50.75 in five-on-five play.
Schultz has been paired with Ian Cole, who has recorded two assists in 18 games, and whose Corsi rating sits slightly under even (48.17). For those who put stock in the stat, Cole is sitting at plus-seven for the playoffs, while Schultz is a plus-three.
Make no mistake, the heavy lifting on defense will be undertaken by the likes of Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Ben Lovejoy and Olli Maatta. But if this third pairing can hold its own in the defensive end while occasionally chipping in offensively, the Penguins might actually start to fly.
Updates on the Lightning and Blues, plus the latest on Tyson Barrie and Brian Campbell in your NHL rumor mill. Lightning at a crossroads. TAMPA BAY TIMES: Joe Smith examines the roster decisions facing Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman this summer. Topping the list is pending UFA Steven Stamkos. He wants to re-sign and […]
Kings to change captains, World Cup of Hockey rosters revealed and more in this morning’s collection of NHL headlines. LOS ANGELES TIMES: Anze Kopitar could be taking over from Dustin Brown as the captain of the Los Angeles Kings. Brown wasn’t available for comment. A Kings representative didn’t dispute the report via TSN […]
