I'm not Hartley and I'm not going to pretend I know better than an NHL coach. But from a fan perspective Backlund's diminished ice time is just baffling.
Last season Backlund was easily one of the strongest Flames throughout the shorten season. He was playing a strong defensive game, driving hard to the net and creating opportunities. The Flames organization was openly impressed with his play and he was carrying that over to this season.
Sure Backlund has struggled over the past 3-4 games, but in the context of where Backlund is development wise and where the team is headed, does Backlund deserve 4th line minutes. I'm not sold on it. Colbourne has played well since arriving in Calgary and there is a bit of chemistry between him and Cammalleri, but it's not like Colbourne is pulling a Monohan and suddenly leading the team in scoring. I don't see why Hartley doesn't give Backlund some time with Cammalleri to shake things up a bit.
I think the frustration with Backlund's ice time is that he's pinned between Bouma and Gratton for the entire game, if you want him to be show that offensive flare give him a couple of shifts with one of the other lines.
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