David Backes finished third in the NHL in hits per game last season with 3.3 hpg. LA’s Dustin Brown led the league with 4.0 and Montreal’s Mike Komisarek had 3.6. Of course Backes does more than just hit and that’s why Vancouver zeroed in on the third-year player in the offseason. The Canucks signed the restricted free agent to a three-year, $7.5 million contract, which of course the Blues matched. So Backes returns this season wearing the Bluenote and also wearing a wedding ring after exchanging vows this summer.

Jeremy Rutherford: So you’re married now and things are good?

David Backes: “Still married and things are great. The wedding went off without a hitch and had a great honeymoon in Hawaii.”

JR: What was the coolest thing you did in Hawaii?

DB: “They had like stand-up paddleboards, where it’s kind of like surfing but you paddle yourself around on this board. It was tough, but it was very cool.”

JR: I guess it’s a little easier in Hawaii, but can you really ever get hockey out of your mind?

DB: “It’s tough. It’s like anyone trying to get their work off their mind, especially when it’s everyday and year-round like athletics has become at the professional level. But it’s what I love to do, and I don’t mind it being on my mind all the time.”

JR: You got an interesting phone call from your agent when you were in Hawaii. He told you that Vancouver had made an offer for $7.5 million. What was going through your mind on the phone?

DB: “It was the last morning of the honeymoon and it was a good wedding present. I’d been clued in the night before that there might be a team trying to trade for me and that anything could happen. But to get that call was a surprise . . . I wasn’t expecting it.”

JR: Either way, you’re going to make $7.5 million for the next three years, but it could be with Vancouver or the Blues. At that point, are you torn a little bit?

DB: “Yeah, it’s one of those things where I love the city of St. Louis and I’m set up here. My wife is set up here. She’s going to school now and volunteers at the Stray Rescue of St. Louis shelter. It’s like if you’re offered a raise to move . . . a lot of people take those all the time. It’s one of those things where that’s where the game has become a business and it’s a business decision. Now, I’m fortunate that they matched it and I’ll be here for the next three years. Everything worked out great.”

JR: You were ranked third in the NHL in hits per game last season. You have really made the hits a big part of your game . . .

DB: “Yeah, I think in time it will give myself and my teammates more time and that creates more offense, more goals, more wins. It’s part of my game, it’s part of what I’ve tried to establish and it’s one of those things that you can control because it’s really how hard your working . . . you can get to those hits and finish them. I’m proud to do it and I’m going to keep doing it this year.”

JR: A lot of fans, I think, like your game, but they don’t know what kind of goal scorer you can be. You had 13 goals last season, of course, but what do you think is possible? Are you a 15-goal scorer, 20, 30? 

DB: “I think if you watch a guy like Dustin Brown, he hits like a truck but he’s using those hits to get him more space, intimidate the other team and put 30 goals in the net. Am I going to be able to do that? I hope so. Can I tell you that for sure I’m going to? I don’t think I can make that statement now, but I’m going to do everything in my power to be more productive offensively and make a big contribution to this team.”

JR: You’ve played on the Blues’ top lines with Keith Tkachuk, Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, etc. . . . You’ve also played on a third line with Lee Stempniak and Jay McClement. Do you feel like you’ve played well enough to stay on a top line, where you might be able to produce more offensively?

DB: “A lot of it has to do with ice time and who you’re playing against. If you’re playing 20 minutes a game, you’re getting a lot more opportunities to make plays happen then if you’re playing 10 minutes a game. I’d love to be on a second-line role consistently, but that’s why I’m not part of the coaching staff. That’s their decision to make. Wherever they put me in the lineup, I’ll go out and play my (bottom) off.”

JR: What did you do this offseason to help yourself?

DB: “I tried to stay away from the ice. The long 82-game schedule of the NHL and the World Championships on top of that put me into the middle of May. So I tried to stay away. I got my work done in the gym and on the track. It’s all coming back to me now and it’s refreshing. If you clear your mind for a while and refresh, you’ll be excited to come back to the rink everyday, and that’s where I’m at right now.”

 Thanks for reading . . .

JR