An NHL insider told Sports Headliners he’s perplexed like the media and fans about why the Wild haven’t signed All-Star goalie Niklas Backstrom to a contract that will keep him here beyond this season. Backstrom, who turns 31 on February 13, is in his third season with the Wild and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“I think they’re absolutely nuts if they don’t sign him,” the source said. “I don’t understand it.”
Backstrom’s play has been a positive during a disappointing season so far for the Wild. He’s tied for second in the league in shutouts with five and among the top five NHL goalies in save percentage, wins and goals against average. He has 24 of the Wild’s 25 victories.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, thinks Backstrom might be the best goalie in the NHL. He said a team like Detroit, looking for goaltending help, will pay market money or beyond to add a talent like Backstrom.
There’s an assumption the Wild don’t want to pay Backstrom $35 million or so for a multi-year deal, as sportsillustrated.com reported recently. The Sports Headliners’ source, who has pro hockey coaching and front office experience, said the Wild’s strategy might be to save money on Backstrom and spend it on acquiring players who can add offense to a team that frequently struggles to score goals.
Presumably this means the goaltending job goes to 24-year-old Josh Harding who has played in only 11 games this season and just 50 during the last four seasons here. His won-loss career record is 17-23, and he’s won a game this season. The source is skeptical about Harding being able to replace the talented Backstrom, saying “I wouldn’t count on that.”
The best move is to keep both players, he said, because there is “no place to be better fortified than in goal.” But the Wild apparently think that at least part of Backstrom’s success is coach Jacques Lemaire’s defensive system that does produce low scoring games.
Other teams may see Backstrom, though, as a valuable addition as soon as the next few weeks, hoping to add him before the NHL trading deadline on March 4. Backstrom could possibly help a team go deep into the playoffs, perhaps even winning the Stanley Cup.
The Wild, with a 25-21-3 record and 53 points, are 24 points behind San Jose, the leading team in the Western Conference. The Wild are bunched with several teams trying to make the playoffs and there are some doubters including the NHL insider who doesn’t think they will qualify. The team’s chances of acquiring value in a Backstrom trade certainly appear better than moving former All-Star forward Marian Gaborik who has been injured and missed most of the season.
Gaborik may return to the Wild by mid-March but both he and the team are in challenging positions. Gaborik has been injured so much during his career that the NHL source believes he will have to take a one year deal someplace else for next season to prove himself.
The source added that the Wild can’t “get anything now for him” and that Gaborik, after the strained contract negotiations, isn’t happy here. When Gaborik becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer his career in Minnesota will be over, said the NHL insider.