Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
I still disagree and still feel that Backlund is criminally underrated. Everyone talks about Bergeron as being this defensive god (and in many ways he is), but I wonder how he would do given Backlund's utilization? Undoubtedly worse. How worse? Maybe he wouldn't put up as many points as Backlund even.
Backlund should have won a Selke by now. He gets absolutely buried (not sure about this season with Lindholm as a full-time centre now), but like a zombie, you can not keep him in that grave. Being buried in zone starts and quality of comp allows everyone else to produce more. It allows the Flames to also shelter the other lines a bit more and stop the 'bleeding' at times.
I think Backlund is an easy fill on the protection slot, without even thinking about it. His role is extremely demanding, and he does it every single year without complaint. Never complains about his usage, or linemates, never has anything coming from him other than a willingness to just do whatever it takes to accomplish what is asked of him. Heck, give me another 2 or 3 Backlunds, and this team wins a couple of cups.
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Good Backlund is a Selke candidate. And vastly under-rated.
But
bad Backlund is a soft player that can be completely ineffective.
I like Backlund, but I think the variance in his level of play is too great. He needs to be mentally tougher. And harder to play against (all the time).