David Backes Will Not Be A Flyer

The hot sizzle from the NHL rumor mill today is the Blues are done with David Backes and they're looking to move him for prospects to grow with Vladimir Tarasenko. (That's grow, literally, as in Tarasenko has gained like eighty pounds of torso weight this summer.)

I'm not gonna say that Tarasenko took steroids this summer but Tarasenko for suuuuure took some roids this summer. pic.twitter.com/QrmGMkGhTq

— Jordie (@BarstoolJordie) August 29, 2015

But I read a scorching hot take that said two of the biggest suitors for Backes are Boston and Philly. Boston maybe? I guess? We're going to need someone who knows things about the Bruins to break down how that'd work.

Here's why Philly is not happening: we have our top two centers locked up for the better part of the next decade. On top of that, Backes is scheduled to make $4.75 million next season. The Flyguys have less than $1 million in cap space.

The only way that Backes-to-Philly works is if it's a pure cap-shedding move from Ron Hextall. If St. Louis takes back some combination of the horrendous contracts that are Vinny Lecavalier, Andrew MacDonald, or RJ Umberger, we get to wipe someone off the books a year or two early, and it doesn't matter that we are adding another center to a team that is already flush with them.

I am going to end this post by completely disagreeing with the title. I hope Backes comes to Philly in a move that continues this absurd run of Hextall being the best GM ever. Fingers crossed that we get an update this afternoon from someone who knows things telling us Ken Hitchcock really likes Andy Mac and is willing to take him and a draft pick for Backes.

Let's get that Crosby-loving bag of trash off the team and make some room for one of the youngsters.