Backlund is a great example of a later 1st round pick who was given time to develop and adapt to what ever role suited him best in the NHL. I think at first people were expecting him to be a guy who would put up points and be an offensive minded number 2 or maybe 1A centre. He was the 2nd highest rated European in his draft year and coming off a knee injury that hurt his ranking a bit IIRC. Now he has turned into a great 2 way, need to have if you want to win type of centre. I have been a fan since we drafted him and am quite pleased with how he is turning out, really clutch at times to which will be invaluable over the next few years as we turn ourselves into a contender.
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