The Bruins have made some signings to varying degrees of significance on the July 1 opening of NHL free agency
The Bruins signed rugged, productive center David Backes to a five-year contract worth $6 million a year that will take the 32-year-old up until he’s 38. The former St. Louis Blues captain is tough, intense and physical along with being a guy that can chip in 20 plus goals on offense, and he will bring some of that fire to the Black and Gold starting next season. But the 6-foot-3, 221-pound forward has also already played 700 plus games in the NHL, heavy miles logged given his physical style of play. It will be interesting to see what kind of player Backes is when he approaches the 36-38 year old range a few years down the road.
The Backes signing came soon after word came that the B's lost Loui Eriksson to the Vancouver Canucks to a deal believed to be worth $36 million over six years.
"I am as excited as can be to join an Original Six team w/tons of history & a great chance to win," Backes told CSNNE.com. "The courtship period and vision for winning with this group was irresistible."
In announcing Torey Krug's contract extension on Thursday night. Bruins GM Don Sweeney said of he B's free agent pursuits: “The flexibility piece is there. Now, we just need to make it happen, be it through trade or free agency, we’ll continue to improve. Players on this roster or whatever we have to do — there are certain players that I’ve mentioned before that are a big part of our group in winning and we’re very, very unlikely to move.
“But discussions will come down with different general managers — they’re going to want, they’re going to have the asks, and I do, too, so you have to try and make it work and you realize that good players are exchanged and it’s not a fun process, but in order to improve your team, you’re going to have to give something up.
In addition to Backes, who scored 21 goals and 45 points in 79 games last season, the Bruins also inked backup goaltender Anton Khudobin to a short-term deal and re-signed John-Michael Liles to a one-year, $2 million contract after arriving at the trade deadline last spring.
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