over payment both

I agree that it is an over payment, I also think that to get rid of Brouwer we are going to get fleeced at some point. No one is biting on him and we are going to have to do the old addition by subtraction. As for trading Backlund, I think that is out of the question. It is good to have a guy who was raised and developed in the Flames system become an integral part of the team. Shows our rookies coming up that they can go through ups, downs and not worry about getting dealt. Also Backlund was one of the best defensive centers in the league last year.