Forward Advanced Stat Numbers here:
Offensive zone starts:
Backlund: 40.4% Only Giordano and Brodie have lower starts.
Stajan is at 58%.
Offensive zone finishes:
Backlund: 50%. 9.6% increase in the positive direction.
Stajan: 42.6%. 15.4% decrease.
The only forward on the team with a higher difference in the positive direction is Cammalleri with a positive gain of 11.6% - and he starts at 51.5% offensive zone starts.
Backlund does help in the puck possession aspect of the game thus far. Faceoffs he is terrible at - though I would imagine it is something he can really work on and should improve on. Offensively he leaves much to be desired, but again he is young and has shown flashes of it.
There is no 'need' to move him as far as I can see. Even if gets caught up in the numbers game and other centers surpass him, move him to the wing. He isn't being a detriment to the team, is he? His value is not at an all-time high (quite the opposite). He isn't costing someone else a roster spot. He isn't a liability. He isn't a high cap hit. I just don't see any problem with seeing how he continues to develop.
Backlund is being buried according to his offensive zone starts. Believe in advanced stats or not, but something as simple as 'Backlund is being buried' can be adequately surmised by looking at where Backlund's average zone start is, and where Backlund's average zone end is. You can use advanced stats to sometimes prove and disprove the same point at times, but when you see a player's zone start as the lowest on the team (for forwards) and having the second most positive difference, that is a tough stat to disprove with your 'eyes'. There may be other facets of Backlund's game people don't like (and rightfully so), but he is being buried out there, and he is demonstrably having a positive effect on this team at the moment.
Whether he fits the team moving forward or not is the debate, but again.. why the rush to move him now?