In a surprising move, the Bruins have signed free agent center David Backes to a reported five year, $30M contract. The deal was originally announced as a one year agreement, but Elliotte Friedman reports the signing is significantly longer and more lucrative:
Like many day one free agent contracts, this is a puzzling move for the Bruins. Offense -- especially from the middle of the ice -- was not a problem for Boston last season, as they have Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci occupying the first and second line center roles, respectively. Backes could play on the wing for Boston, as he did at times in St. Louis, but with the contract he received, why wouldn't the Bruins have retained Loui Eriksson, a winger one year younger than Backes that just put up 30 goals for these very Bruins?
At 32 years old, Backes is in clear decline. He's a solid two-way forward capable of playing decent minutes against opposing second lines, but his best days won't be making the move to the northeast. Backes' goal totals have declined each of the past three years after his shooting percentage peaked at 16.4% in 2013-2014 when he scored 27 goals. After netting 21 goals last season, Backes should settle in to scoring between 15-20 goals depending on where exactly he slots in to the forward group. His CF% at five-on-five was 51.3% last season for the Blues, which slotted him in the middle of the pack on the talented team.
What's more curious about the deal, however, is that the Bruins have a glaring need on the blueline. Again, goals weren't the problem in Boston last season, as the Bruins scored the fifth most goals in the league. Even factoring in Eriksson's departing 30 goals, what cap room the Bruins could spare should have went to solidifying a weak defensive core. With Dougie Hamilton jettisoned last year, the Bruins defense is made up of Torey Krug, who has a strong offensive game but can struggle against tougher competition, a rapidly deteriorating Zdeno Chara, and replacement level defensemen. Even Tuukka Rask couldn't bail out the defense last season, and with Dennis Seidenberg bought out and no bluechips coming up from Providence, things will likely be worse this year.
Bruins fans will love Backes' style of play, which will no doubt remind them of Milan Lucic -- a solid shot with a mentality to hit people when the intensity is turned up. But Backes has been nagged by injuries and often played on the third line in St. Louis last season, his game catching up with him. Forwards really start to hit the downslope in their career in their late twenties, and that can be accelerated for the more physical types.
Fantasy Slant
Backes's fantasy value will be heavily dependent on how the Bruins see him. If he's coming in as a third line center that is drawing out against opposing second lines, his offense will no doubt suffer. If he plays on the wing next to either Bergeron or Krejci, then things are a bit more optimistic, though he will still likely struggle to get 25 goals. He is worth more in leagues that reward alternate categories such as hits and penalty minutes, however. Keep his name on your cheat sheet for the middle rounds, but don't overpay for his name or prior stats.