From TSN:
Bob McKenzie says he expects the Blues to match the Canucks’ offer sheet to David Backes very quickly.
Here is some information on Backes from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail:
Backes is considered one of the Blues’ blue-chip prospects. He is 24, and completed the second year of his NHL career by scoirng 31 points in 72 games and finishing with 99 penalty minutes. A 6-foot-3 200-pounder, he is projected as a power forward type who was turning the corner in his career – and thus was an inviting target for a team such as Vancouver that needs help up front.
Read more about the offer sheet here.
I am a little surprised that the Blues have decided to match so quickly. Not that Backes is a bad player, because he is most definitely not; but because Backes will be considerably overpaid over the terms of this contract. With so much young talent on their roster, and some cap issues, I thought the Blues might reject this contract and take the compensation. However, considering the Blues have invested time and money into Backes over the years, they obviously don’t want to see him come into his own on someone else’s watch. That is fair logic.
