Entering the second year of a five-year contract signed last summer in free agency Boston Bruins forward David Backes is feeling some pressure heading into the 2017-18 season.

Backes struggled so much through his first year in Boston that team president Cam Neely had to publicly defend the deal.

This past week it was Backes’ turn to talk about his first season in Boston and what he has to prove heading into a new season.

He spoke with Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe and talked about the adjustment process of going to a new city and a new team after spending the first decade of his career with the St. Louis Blues.

” Backes said. “Different personnel,[url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/ahkello-witherspoon-jersey-cheap]Authentic Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey[/url], come to a house that’s set up, different area,[url=http://www.49ersfootballauthentic.com/c.-j.-beathard-jersey-authentic]Womens C. J. Beathard Jersey[/url], different streets, and a way of life — everything that’s gone into change from St. Louis to here. Looking forward to having a year where I can just play hockey, just move my family and dogs and cats in, having the challenges of change,“I feel I’ve grown in a lot of different ways, start living life, and really be able to focus on playing the game and helping our team win. That’s what I’m most optimistic about.”

quickness and explosiveness over power. That would certainly be a change from the type of player Backes has been for most of his career,He also talked about focussing his offseason training on improving his agility,[url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/solomon-thomas-jersey-cheap]Authentic Solomon Thomas Jersey[/url], but in today’s NHL speed and quickness seems to be the desired approach for teams over strength. For the most part.

It remains to be seen what sort of impact all of that will have on Backes’ season. The concern for Boston has to be the fact that for as much talk as there has been about his adjustment to Boston and the struggles that came with it his performance in his first year with the Bruins really wasn’t all that different from his final year in St. Louis.

The production — both traditional numbers and underlying advanced metrics — were not only similar, but in some cases better with the Bruins.

There was only a slight drop in his goal scoring and point production (he had four fewer goals and seven fewer points in five fewer games while getting less ice time per game) while his ability to generate shots and drive possession actually increased with Boston, as did his production on a per-minute basis.

probably more than they have ever made in their career,[url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/reuben-foster-jersey-cheap]Authentic Reuben Foster Jersey[/url],It is entirely possible that what the Bruins saw from Backes in 2016-17 is what they should probably be expecting in the future as he is at a point in his career (entering his age 33 season) where his production is only going to continue to go south. Sometimes you simply can not fight father time. This is also the problem that teams run into in free agency. You have to pay a player top dollar,[url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/ahkello-witherspoon-jersey-cheap]Womens Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey[/url], based on the production they had for another team. A lot of times that does not work out for the team.

After losing their minor league affiliate to Vegas and being forced into playing next season without one of their own,[url=http://www.49ersfootballauthentic.com/joe-williams-jersey-authentic]Authentic Joe Williams Jersey[/url], the Blues are back in the AHL business.

St. Louis is set to announce a five-year agreement with the San Antonio Rampage,Per the Post-Dispatch, the current American League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Blues’ alignment with San Antonio will end a two-year search for a new AHL affiliate after a relationship with the Chicago Wolves turned sour and efforts to place an expansion club in Kansas City or Indianapolis came up short.

and with the Knights collaborating with the Wolves,The Blues will operate without an affiliate in 2017-18 because the addition of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights will give the NHL one more franchise than the AHL, it will leave the Blues as the odd team out.

But that will change the following year when the AHL expands.

following next season, the Avs are likely to align with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles,The Post-Dispatch then goes on to report that, who would become the AHL’s 31st team for the ’18-19 campaign.

as their current situation isn’t tenable. This season, they will “associate” with Vegas to have some farmhands play in Chicago,[url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/solomon-thomas-jersey-cheap]Womens Solomon Thomas Jersey[/url],This development has to be a major relief for the Blues,[url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/reuben-foster-jersey-cheap]Womens Reuben Foster Jersey[/url],[url=http://www.49ersfootballauthentic.com/c.-j.-beathard-jersey-authentic]Authentic C. J. Beathard Jersey[/url],[url=http://www.49ersfootballauthentic.com/joe-williams-jersey-authentic]Womens Joe Williams Jersey[/url], while loaning out others to various AHL teams.