Too much is being made of Backlund sitting. This is a good problem to have.
Colborne IS improving, and he is playing more physical. I didn't particularly like getting him on the team, but he is showing more and more.
This isn't a "Burke" thing. Weisbrod was part of the team that drafted him, wasn't he? He was definitely a part of his development, as Colborne went into Weisbrod's domain into the NCAA.
Weisbrod was part of Colborne's drafting/development process.
Burke traded for him.
Feaster went out and signed/traded for a bunch of Calgary natives - Colborne fits that.
He is also 6'5" and has upside, and is still very young. Can we stop with the "Burke is forcing Hartley to play him" nonsense? His waiver exemption was forcing the Flames to play him, but now he is starting to force the Flames in playing him.
I have always been a huge Backlund supporter - and I still am. This kid is fast, dynamic and is so defensively sound it is sick. He drives possession. Now my own opinion won't be popular from anyone, but I remember one particular play Backlund did in Sutter's last year as coach. Backlund was carrying the puck in, and beat a defender. There was literally nobody between him and the goalie. Instead of driving to the net, Backlund chips it into the corner, and you could literally see how stupid he felt chasing after his own chip with ZERO defenders between him, the goalie and the puck. That was a play that Sutter forced into the team (when he continually tried to make them a cycling team, even though they were the smallest team in the NHL).
It is just one example, and it may not hold that much weight. Maybe Backlund just screwed up. It just seemed like it was a 'forced' play instead of allowing players to be creative. Brent really drilled into Backlund the need to be defensively responsible, and that has taken some effect on Backlund.
Now, dressing him with McGrattan isn't going to solve it, but it is tough to make a case for whom he displaces. Everyone has to take a few turns sitting on the bench or playing on the 4th line. That is a good problem to have. Everyone and their dog (except for a couple of posters on this site) knows that Backlund has been doing fairly well.
Still, do you just bench Glencross and Stajan? Do you start benching the vets that you need to unload at some point between now and the deadline? Rotate the rookies in, keep them hungry, keep them learning, but you don't reduce trade assets. Just my opinion.
As for goaltending - I think we all know what MacDonald is by now - this is the first time I saw him lose a game for the Flames, and never saw him win a game. That is two games in a row that the goalies have lost the game for the team.
However, Ramo still has upside. Still adjusting. People will argue that he is what he is, pointing at other goalies in different situations (often with a better defence in front of them!), but everyone progresses at a different rate. I still stand behind the statement that we won't really 'know' one way or the other until the half-way point in the season. At that time, I expect Berra to start getting looks regardless as to how poor or great Ramo is. Flames need to figure out what they have, and that has time. At the end of the season, I expect Ortio to have a couple of looks.
Flames played well tonight. Goaltending lost them the game (again), but they acquitted themselves well against a team that is know for puck possession and putting pressure on the puck carriers - exactly the style I think the Flames play now. They looked faster and dominant for long stretches, and have good fight to get back in the game twice. Nothing wrong with a game like this for the first year of the rebuild.
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