Thursday night will be far from David Backes’ first rodeo, as far as season openers go.
And yet, considering the situation he was in back in June, Backes does hold Thursday’s game against Dallas in a much different light than in years past.
Set to enter his fourth season in Boston — and 14th overall as a pro — Backes has rarely needed to fret about whether or not his name would be etched into the whiteboard during the lead up to a season-opening bout.
But getting scratched for three of the most important games of your life — and subsequently sweating through an offseason full of uncertainty — can alter your thinking in a hurry.
“I mean, not playing the last three games of the (Stanley Cup) Final certainly doesn’t make you feel real secure that you’ve got a job,” Backes said. “That being said, I think it provided me with some initiative and some extra fuel of being in the league for 13 years and saying it’s time to adapt further and try to change my game to acclimate to the way the new NHL kind of speed and getting up and down the ice.”
And yet, amid all the talk of buyouts, cap-clearing trades, AHL assignments and other less-than-ideal conclusions, Backes finds himself on Boston’s third line with the 2019-20 regular season now just three days away.
The chance to open a new campaign with Boston on a line next to Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen is quite the departure from where Backes was situated in the Bruins’ last game — up on the ninth floor of TD Garden.
“I guess I haven’t been told I’m in (Thursday's) lineup yet, so every moment, I’m still trying to earn and prove that I deserve that spot,” Backes said when asked of the significance of playing in Thursday’s matchup. “I guess, when I’m in the game, god willing, on Thursday night, then yeah, they’ll be a little bit of ‘I’ve earned this so far.’
“Part of this reflection is maybe I was taking a little bit of that for granted — that those healthy scratches kind of kick you where it hurts, but it was a moment to say that, ‘Well I’ve got to keep earning my spot every day’ and that’s what I had to do maybe my first couple of years in the league, where you had to earn it every day. Maybe a little complacency of 'I’d earned it and deserve something,' but now I’m back to trying to earn it every day and I think that’s a good head space for me to be in.”
A motivated (and stronger-skating) Backes more than held his own during the preseason while primarily deployed away from the offensive zone (35.29 Off. Zone Faceoff Percentage). Despite getting pressed into more of a defensive-focused role, Boston still managed to hold a 48-34 edge in shot attempts and a 24-10 advantage in shots on goal during Backes’ 43:30 of 5v5 TOI over the last two weeks.
“He looks quicker, he was driving around some D today,” Bruce Cassidy said of Backes. “I think most guys are good this time of year, they feel good, they’ve had the summer to rest up, they haven’t been drilled yet, so to speak. They usually are going to look a little better. But I think he has looked good. That’s the bigger challenge, he needs to sustain that level of pace throughout the year. We’re still getting some rest there in general. So far, so good.”
Even when his scoring production has dropped over his tenure with Boston, Backes does provide value as a contributor on a fourth-line, checking role, especially when looking back at some familiar line combos in 2018-19:
Nordstrom-Acciari-Backes: 107 minutes of 5v5 TOI together — 5 5v5 goals scored / 2 goals against – Bruins held a 90-73 edge in shot attempts (55.21 CF%) & a plus-13 shot differential
Wagner-Kuraly-Backes: 100 minutes of 5v5 TOI together — 2 5v5 goals scored / 1 goal against — Bruins held a 109-75 edge in shot attempts (59.24 CF%) & a plus-22 shot differential
Backes may not be the force he was during his days with the Blues, but the 35-year-old forward still can impact a game when it comes to stymying opposing chances — with his Goals Against Per 60 rate of 0.94 leading all B’s players last season. Still, how his skillset translates to a line with Coyle and Heinen remains to be seen, although Coyle's puck-possession mastery (64.94 CF% this preseason) could make that line a monster when it comes to limiting scoring chances.
With Joakim Nordstrom likely out to start the regular season, Backes could also slot down to a fourth line with the likes of Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner, although Backes isn’t going to dwell too much of who will be skating with come Thursday.
“I spent a lot of time with Kuraly and the two of us have similar mindsets on how the game is gonna be played," Backes said. "Best game of mine was against New Jersey, I was with Lindholm and Bjork. … But whoever it is, I think that might have been a fault of mine before — was worrying about who that’s going to be.
“I think if I go with the mindset that I’m going to put my best game out there and whoever is with me, they’re going to play their best and they can worry about that. Rather than this opportunity or that opportunity or minutes or whatever. If I’m on the ice, I got a chance to be a difference-maker and I’ve got to seize that, rather than have these other things linger around me. I’m looking to be the best version of No. 42 I can be on Thursday. If that’s with Charlie Coyle, who’s a heck of a player and Danton Heinen, who’s a heck of a player, then that’s going to work well.”
OTHER NOTES:
- While David Krejci did not skate with the main group on Monday, Cassidy did note that the pivot was out on the ice earlier at Warrior Ice Arena, and has not been ruled out for Boston’s season opener against Dallas on Thursday. Par Lindholm centered a line with Jake DeBrusk and Karson Kuhlman during practice.
- “He skated today,” Cassidy said of Krejci. “I talked to him, he’s progressing well. I would like to, obviously, see him get back into the live action with us. Because he hasn’t played a lot. … It’d be good if he got in tomorrow or at the latest, Wednesday.”
- The Bruins made another round of roster cuts on Monday, with the club assigning Anders Bjork, Trent Frederic, Cameron Hughes and Jack Studnicka to Providence. Maxime Lagace cleared waivers and will also head to Providence, while Peter Cehlarik was put on waivers. If the 24-year-old winger manages to clear waivers, he would report to Providence, although it seems likely that a team will take a chance on Cehlarik.