Signing: Isles Sign F Sean Backman

The Islanders announced today that they have signed AHL depth forward Sean Backman to a one year, two way deal. Backman played 4 years with the Yale Bulldogs and played a year with the Dallas Stars' affiliate last year, racking up a little over 20 points. Most notably is that Backman happens to be Matt Moulson's brother in law.

AT: As I've always said, after Bridgeport's abysmal season last year, I'll take any improvement on the team, regardless of where. Backman had some decent stats playing for Yale and played okay for his first year at the minor league level, so he should be able to slot in about 30-40 points playing on the bottom 6 forward slot at Bridgeport, and unless he shocks the world with his play will not be called up to the Islanders any time soon.

He happens to be Matt Moulson's brother in law (and at this point I question if Moulson has any brother in laws who don't play hockey... his other is Jonathan Quick of the Kings) which clearly had a lot to do with this signing. While some might see giving favors to players in the form of signing their relatives is a sort of hockey spoils system, we need to remember that Moulson himself was invited to the Islanders training camp in 2009 because of his relationship with John Tavares. Sometimes, these things work out, and again, there is no way Backman sees any NHL time unless he performs at an elite level in camp or he outshines everyone at Bridgeport. With new forwards Casey Cizikas (most likely), Tim Wallace and Tyler McNeely as well as the returning Jeremy Colliton, Rhett Rakhshani and David Ullstrom, it's hard to see Backman outshining anyone right out of the gate.

CH: Nothing wrong with adding a bit of depth here. Backman reminds me of a Sean Bentivoglio type player - undersized, speedy, can fill in on a top-9 role in the AHL. The Islanders need these types of players to hold down the fort, especially if they have guys like Tim Wallace and Rhett Rakhshani coming up every so often. It's obvious that Moulson's connection is a reason this signing was made, but who cares? The fact is, as Alex pointed out, that Moulson was partly brought in because of his relationship with John Tavares. It's good to keep these connections in-house. It makes the organization come together as it shows a sense of loyalty to the players. Maybe Backman won't make an impact, but this is still a worthwhile signing. Organizationally, the Islanders are better off with Backman today, a guy who can maybe score 30 points in the AHL.