Entering the season David Backes’ stock may have been higher, but his scoring was down and some wonder about the wear and tear on the physical 31-year old captain.
The center/right winger is in the final year of his five-year, $22.5 million contract – a $4.5 million cap hit. There has been rumors that he turned down a three-year contract offer at around $5.5 million per season back in training camp.
Backes may use Ryan Kesler’s six-year, $41.5 million contract as a comparable, though he’ll likely have to take less.
Both sides have said they hope to get a deal done, but if the Blues have a short playoff run, changes will likely be happening in St. Louis, and moving on from Backes could be a start.