Bruins place David Backes on waivers
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins officially bit the bullet on David Backes on Friday, placing the veteran forward on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to the P-Bruins.
In what’s been yet another tough season for the 35-year-old, Backes has essentially played the role of 15th forward from the jump, and has skated in just 16 games in 2019-20, with one goal and two helpers to go with a career-low 8:33 of time on ice per night.
Backes also dealt with yet another concussion, which limited him, and essentially put an end to his role as the Black and Gold’s designated tough guy (a role he picked up last year), due to a Nov. 2 collision with the Sens’ Scott Sabourin.
Signed to a five-year, $30 million deal in 2016, it’s been tough finding Backes’ fit in Boston due to health and pace issues, as Backes has had a noticeably hard time keeping up in a new up-tempo system and as the league has shifted towards a more speed-and-skill game.
This prompted the Bruins to (unsuccessfully) seek potential trades involving No. 42 in both 2018 and 2019, and to finally pull the plug after a B’s career that included just 39 goals and 94 points in 217 games.
If Backes goes unclaimed, he will report to the AHL, and the B’s will create about a million in cap space.