[News] Backlund day to day with undisclosed injury

[sureLoss]

Calgary Flames @NHLFlames
#Flames Roster Update: Mikael Backlund will not play tonight. He is listed as day-to-day.

[keenan87]

Hope he can rest up and be traded at the deadline. Too bad he probably has zero value though.

[showtime]

Originally Posted by keenan87

Hope he can rest up and be traded at the deadline. Too bad he probably has zero value though.

Is this the sarcasm I've been told about?

[GioforPM]

Colic

[djsFlames]

Out with "NFG".

[Willi Plett]

Out with a broken heart

[Iggy Snipe]

Backlund was a massive hole in the game yesterday. Heis far and beyond the Flames best center iceman this year. Its not even close. He skates well, and does all the little things right. He's not a top offensive producer, but he is so steady out there, and always is matched against top end talent on opposing teams. Calgary missed him and it showed.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Iggy Snipe

Backlund was a massive hole in the game yesterday. Heis far and beyond the Flames best center iceman this year. Its not even close. He skates well, and does all the little things right. He's not a top offensive producer, but he is so steady out there, and always is matched against top end talent on opposing teams. Calgary missed him and it showed.

Massive hole? Missed him and It showed? McDavid, who he is usually pegged to cover, had 2 sog which has to be one of the lowest totals he has had in a game vs us ever.

So, I think Ryan did pretty well there on his assignment. The goal and one shot was off a faceoff draw, where Lindholm has better faceoff numbers to Backlund for faceoff, of you're going to make the argument Backlund would've been C on that PK.

Backlund is smart, but soft, avoiding contact at every opportunity even moreso this year than other years, just watch him on a shift with and without the puck, assumedly out of self preservation.

Which means plays die for his linemates because he dumps it in or off if he sees contact ahead, and, he doesn't stay or enter tough zones to prolong pressure or take a hit to create a chance. Sure it works if you're a skilled center on then top line who is creating and dishing off high quality scoring chances to line mates But he's not, he dumping it in, getting it off his stick in the neutral zone of offensive zone as soon as possible if he sees someone coming at him, and staying out if the corners on the cycle as a 3rd line center, which doesn't work for that line role.

His lack of desire to be an offensive c to take the hits as a c on a second scoring line are a big reason why Lindholm has moved to 2c this year.

The lack of physicalality makes it work defensively because of the lack of getting to dirty zones he is in safe positional situations when the puck goes the other way after his two linemates predictably lose the luck battle vs 3 opponents. And he is a smart hockey player, just a soft one. But not sure that translates into Sutter's system. And 3 more years after this at $5.3M is expensive in that role.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Iggy Snipe

Backlund was a massive hole in the game yesterday. Heis far and beyond the Flames best center iceman this year. Its not even close. He skates well, and does all the little things right. He's not a top offensive producer, but he is so steady out there, and always is matched against top end talent on opposing teams. Calgary missed him and it showed.

They actually held McDavid and Draisaitl in check without him. I don't think Backs is a bad player but I do think his value to the Flames is vastly overrated. He's a very useful player for the Flames about 1/3 of the time and that's really not good enough.

[Flamesfan05]

Backlund was a very good player

But he has been terrible this year...he is a disappointment, just slightly below Monahan, Tkachuk and Andersson

[GioforPM]

Backlund is a guy who generally gets better as the season wears on, but this is a short season.

[Manhattanboy]

Backlund is a good two way soldier and inconsistent at that - some games he is incredibly lazy.

You're never going to say wow Backlund really put the team on his "back" in that game and carried the boys to a win.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

They actually held McDavid and Draisaitl in check without him. I don't think Backs is a bad player but I do think his value to the Flames is vastly overrated. He's a very useful player for the Flames about 1/3 of the time and that's really not good enough.

I think you could say the same thing about virtually everyone on the roster outside of Hannifin, lucic, tanev and ryan.

I see those as being the players at are ready to play every game.

Probably add gio as well. But his wheels are gone.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

...You're never going to say wow Backlund really put the team on his "back" in that game and carried the boys to a win.

I have literally said this exact thing several times before. It felt like this is pretty much what happened every single game in January–March last year.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by browna

Massive hole? Missed him and It showed? McDavid, who he is usually pegged to cover, had 2 sog which has to be one of the lowest totals he has had in a game vs us ever.

So, I think Ryan did pretty well there on his assignment. The goal and one shot was off a faceoff draw, where Lindholm has better faceoff numbers to Backlund for faceoff, of you're going to make the argument Backlund would've been C on that PK.

Backlund is smart, but soft, avoiding contact at every opportunity even moreso this year than other years, just watch him on a shift with and without the puck, assumedly out of self preservation.

Which means plays die for his linemates because he dumps it in or off if he sees contact ahead, and, he doesn't stay or enter tough zones to prolong pressure or take a hit to create a chance. Sure it works if you're a skilled center on then top line who is creating and dishing off high quality scoring chances to line mates But he's not, he dumping it in, getting it off his stick in the neutral zone of offensive zone as soon as possible if he sees someone coming at him, and staying out if the corners on the cycle as a 3rd line center, which doesn't work for that line role.

His lack of desire to be an offensive c to take the hits as a c on a second scoring line are a big reason why Lindholm has moved to 2c this year.

The lack of physicalality makes it work defensively because of the lack of getting to dirty zones he is in safe positional situations when the puck goes the other way after his two linemates predictably lose the luck battle vs 3 opponents. And he is a smart hockey player, just a soft one. But not sure that translates into Sutter's system. And 3 more years after this at $5.3M is expensive in that role.

So much wrong with this post.

Backlund is not soft. He goes to tough areas. He hits. He battles on the boards and WINS those battles.

Might want to take your own advice and watch him on shifts with or without the puck.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

So much wrong with this post.



Backlund is not soft. He goes to tough areas. He hits. He battles on the boards and WINS those battles.



Might want to take your own advice and watch him on shifts with or without the puck.

Backlund will do all you say maybe one game out of 10. That's what makes him so frustrating. He can go in the corner, make a hit, take a hit and battle but it's so seldom.

When he decides he isn't going to play hard he is the softest most contact averse player on the ice.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I have literally said this exact thing several times before. It felt like this is pretty much what happened every single game in January–March last year.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Is this meant to be sarcastic?

The Feb 6- March stretch where he had 22 points in 16 games?

[timbit]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Is this meant to be sarcastic?

The Feb 6- March stretch where he had 22 points in 16 games?

Reading comprehension?

Try again.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by timbit

Reading comprehension?



Try again.

It is not something he excels at.

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[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by chedder

Backlund will do all you say maybe one game out of 10. That's what makes him so frustrating. He can go in the corner, make a hit, take a hit and battle but it's so seldom.

When he decides he isn't going to play hard he is the softest most contact averse player on the ice.

1 game in 10? How does he possibly have 33 hits this season? How does he lead the team with 32 takeaways, good for 8th in the NHL if he is so uninvolved?

Backlund is not easy to play against.