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Calgary4LIfe · 01-13-2016, 12:21 AM

Backlund to me has not had the greatest season thus far.

He was elite defensively - I thought he had a legitimately elite defensive year a couple of seasons ago. This year, he is just 'merely great' - which is to say, I think he is hugely important on the Flames.

I don't think you can get rid of Backlund and expect any other center to fill-in on Backlund's contributions. Yeah, he made that big error last night on Couture, but Backlund also in my mind went a long ways in making up for it by smothering Couture and forcing him to take a bad-angled shot that ended up deflecting and in. Sure, Backlund was responsible for it, but he also recovered - and that is what makes Backlund valuable to me - he never gives up.

It sure would be nice to see him have a bit of an uptick on offence, but he isn't as bad offensively as people make him out to be. I haven't seen what his o-zone and d-zone starts and finishes are, but I imagine he is heavily started in the defensive zone and against a high quality of competition. That makes it tough to score. He still scores at roughly 0.5ppg - not bad considering how Hartley utilizes him. That is pretty good for a 3rd line center IMO, and I also concur with the OP - Backlund gets way too much undeserved hate here.

Edit: As for trading him out - I think this only happens when someone actually pushes him out. You need quality role players in the bottom 2 lines, and Backlund I feel is exactly that. When Granlund can push out Backlund, then great - I don't see it close to happening yet, and I think Granlund is a player now and I am high on him. When Jankowski, Grant and Arnold (and whomever else comes along) and legitimately pushes Backlund out, then that is when we see him traded. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade a very responsible defensive center with a non-stop motor, great IQ (at the very least, great IQ defensively) and who plays the game at a good pace. Stajan is only getting older and I don't think he will be around for much longer. You don't get rid of a solid utility player like Backlund to make room for someone else that may or may not be as solid in that role. Before you trade him, you make sure that he is pushed out of that role first.

01-13-2016, 12:21 AM	#30
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	Backlund to me has not had the greatest season thus far. He was elite defensively - I thought he had a legitimately elite defensive year a couple of seasons ago. This year, he is just 'merely great' - which is to say, I think he is hugely important on the Flames. I don't think you can get rid of Backlund and expect any other center to fill-in on Backlund's contributions. Yeah, he made that big error last night on Couture, but Backlund also in my mind went a long ways in making up for it by smothering Couture and forcing him to take a bad-angled shot that ended up deflecting and in. Sure, Backlund was responsible for it, but he also recovered - and that is what makes Backlund valuable to me - he never gives up. It sure would be nice to see him have a bit of an uptick on offence, but he isn't as bad offensively as people make him out to be. I haven't seen what his o-zone and d-zone starts and finishes are, but I imagine he is heavily started in the defensive zone and against a high quality of competition. That makes it tough to score. He still scores at roughly 0.5ppg - not bad considering how Hartley utilizes him. That is pretty good for a 3rd line center IMO, and I also concur with the OP - Backlund gets way too much undeserved hate here. Edit: As for trading him out - I think this only happens when someone actually pushes him out. You need quality role players in the bottom 2 lines, and Backlund I feel is exactly that. When Granlund can push out Backlund, then great - I don't see it close to happening yet, and I think Granlund is a player now and I am high on him. When Jankowski, Grant and Arnold (and whomever else comes along) and legitimately pushes Backlund out, then that is when we see him traded. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade a very responsible defensive center with a non-stop motor, great IQ (at the very least, great IQ defensively) and who plays the game at a good pace. Stajan is only getting older and I don't think he will be around for much longer. You don't get rid of a solid utility player like Backlund to make room for someone else that may or may not be as solid in that role. Before you trade him, you make sure that he is pushed out of that role first. Last edited by Calgary4LIfe; 01-13-2016 at 12:24 AM.