Re: Backs
Tree apparently commented on the Backlund contract situation during one of the intermissions, but the bar I was watching at turned off the volume when the game wasn't on. Apparently he said things are progressing with the Backlund contract. He must be murder to play poker against, because he gives up nothing.
I really like Backlund as a person and as a player. I think he's a boon to the team. If they really can't get a deal done, I think that maybe I trade him rather than let him walk to free agency. They'd have to look at bringing another centre with term in, in return though because I don't think Janko is quite ready for the next step up just yet, Dube hasn't even turned pro and Stajan is done when his contract is up.
My guess is that the crux of the issue must be how the team sees him being deployed over the life of the next contract. Backlund obviously feels like he's going to be a second line contributor for most of the duration, but I bet the team is probably factoring in that at some point he'll be in more a third line role before the life of the contract is up and wants to structure the contract accordingly.
Get'r done Tree, even if only to take the pressure off the poor guy. He sure gets things done when it comes to contracts, but man his style must be taxing. It's obvious that the weight of the last round of major negotiations seemed to really effect Johnny and Mony too.
Re: Watching the Team
I'll agree there's no question that this team is far more entertaining than the mid-to-latter Iginla/Kipprusoff era. Some nights they seem to have frustratingly inconsistent efforts though. And that seems to happen painfully often when they're at home. If only they could play like they did for most of last game for a full 60 minutes every night, there's no question they'd be a contender. I really wonder what the missing piece is. Some nights it feels like it's the coach, other nights its the guys. If they could make a deadline move that somehow ups the urgency out there, I'd be all for it.