Backing Backlund

[Netminder]

Originally Posted by dying4acup

3yrs 6-8M?

Exactly he's not worth near that.IMO hes not even that great to even write home about.

If to be scoring let's just say a point all the time and that means every other night would be a rush.

[bluloc]

Ive always liked Backlund, its nice to see him get rewarded for his hard work. Who knows maybe next year he could put up 50-60 points.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

I realize that Backlund is getting help outside of Hartley, but you still have to credit Hartley by giving him more minutes and having confidence in him. If Backlund still sucked, he wouldn't be getting top line minutes. How is Hartley not one of the key factors in Backlund's success?

Just curious...

How comes the Flames organization doesn't seem to be taking more of an active role?

I actually find it a bit concerning that Backlund has to get a 3rd party skating coach to tell him what he is doing wrong. I would hope that the Flames would be getting more of these resources in-house.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Just curious...

How comes the Flames organization doesn't seem to be taking more of an active role?

I actually find it a bit concerning that Backlund has to get a 3rd party skating coach to tell him what he is doing wrong. I would hope that the Flames would be getting more of these resources in-house.

I'm sure the Flames work with him plenty... having outside eyes still helps. The guy works with Patrick Kane according to the quote so its not like the Flames are the only team doing this.

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Just curious...

How comes the Flames organization doesn't seem to be taking more of an active role?

I actually find it a bit concerning that Backlund has to get a 3rd party skating coach to tell him what he is doing wrong. I would hope that the Flames would be getting more of these resources in-house.

They obviously have coaches who work with the team as a whole along with players on an individual level. Sometimes though it's helpful to get a different perspective than what you've been working with for the last couple years whose time is dedicated to you and you alone for that moment.

Sometimes opinions and training philosophies just don't mix. There's a reason why these 3rd party trainers are popular with various athletes since you can try and see what works for you as an individual.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

I'm sure the Flames work with him plenty... having outside eyes still helps. The guy works with Patrick Kane according to the quote so its not like the Flames are the only team doing this.

Right, but the Flames, in addition to being the worst drafting team, have been the worst development team in the NHL over the last 20 years.

I question whether they've cultivated the proper resources for player development - I don't think it is an unfair question to ask either.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Right, but the Flames, in addition to being the worst drafting team, have been the worst development team in the NHL over the last 20 years.

I question whether they've cultivated the proper resources for player development - I don't think it is an unfair question to ask either.

It's not an unfair question, but it is strange that you use this example as your jumping off point.

You'd be hard pressed to find an NHL player that doesn't have their own support system outside of the organisation. Most do, and I'd bet a hefty some that every top level guy does at very least.

Still, you're not wrong in questioning the development system the Flames have had over the past decade or two, but it doesn't particularly apply here.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by strombad

It's not an unfair question, but it is strange that you use this example as your jumping off point.

You'd be hard pressed to find an NHL player that doesn't have their own support system outside of the organisation. Most do, and I'd bet a hefty some that every top level guy does at very least.

Still, you're not wrong in questioning the development system the Flames have had over the past decade or two, but it doesn't particularly apply here.

How so? One of the few Flames draft picks to even make the squad has a crippling deficiency in his game mid-season, how is it not the job of the Flames organization to help identify and correct that? Why should that be left to the job of whoever the player contracts as a third party?

[cannon7]

Backlund has been hot offnesively, but he's been playing great the past 25 games or so. Backlund went from our Hartley's doghouse to top minutes.

If they trade him I'll be super bummed, he's developing into a very good player.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Backlund has been hot offnesively, but he's been playing great the past 25 games or so. Backlund went from our Hartley's doghouse to top minutes.

If they trade him I'll be super bummed, he's developing into a very good player.

If they trade him and do not get a good return i would be bummed. I am not saying he should be traded, but I really believe that nobody should be untouchable from the flames.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Was a big old "meh" on trading him when the rumours originally surfaced. Wasn't totally sure he had hit his ceiling yet but felt he might be close. Or else had hit it on this team at least.

As of now he should not be going anywhere. Certainly impressed with his numbers but the biggest thing to me is how he responded to the rumours, benching and then getting the A. He's used them all as positive motivators to help him get to where he is now.

Shows he cares and wants to be here for the long haul. Deserves to keep the A as well IMO.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

How so? One of the few Flames draft picks to even make the squad has a crippling deficiency in his game mid-season, how is it not the job of the Flames organization to help identify and correct that? Why should that be left to the job of whoever the player contracts as a third party?

It's not just the job of the team. Training and coaching is more about perception and understanding than anything. I wouldn't say his issue was crippling, but it was difficult to the point where he needed a different take to improve.

I think you're going on the line of "hiring a third party means the Flames aren't capable", but that really isn't the case with third party support. Again, look at Patrick Kane. Nobody questions Chicago's development structure, but he uses third party support.

Players are in charge of their own development as much as their team is.

I mean hell, Sidney Crosby's trainer doesn't work for the Penguins, he runs a program in Calgary. This isn't a strange occurrence at all. It's commonplace amongst NHL players regardless of what team they play for.

[Stupid]

Pure speculation, but I think if Hartley had not benched Backlund we might not have seen the same turnaround we're seeing today. I think the benching is the first domino so to speak.

About having a third party coach to work with individual players; I've always thought it was a good thing. I see it as putting in extra work to improve your game, everyone has weaknesses to their games and I'd argue that not working with these third parties would be far more concerning..

[HelloHockeyFans]

There was a lot of complaining when Hartley was moving Backlund throughout the lineup to start the season and the occasional benching, but what we're seeing now is that it worked and there's no denying that.

Backlund's improvement can't all be attributed to Hartley but a lot of it has to.

Just heard an interview with Hartley where he also mentioned that Backlund was the fittest Flame at camp which I didn't know.

I have no issues whatsoever with Hartley as the head coach. I think he's doing a great job with this roster and he's doing a fine job developing the kids.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by strombad

It's not just the job of the team. Training and coaching is more about perception and understanding than anything. I wouldn't say his issue was crippling, but it was difficult to the point where he needed a different take to improve.

I think you're going on the line of "hiring a third party means the Flames aren't capable", but that really isn't the case with third party support. Again, look at Patrick Kane. Nobody questions Chicago's development structure, but he uses third party support.

Players are in charge of their own development as much as their team is.

I mean hell, Sidney Crosby's trainer doesn't work for the Penguins, he runs a program in Calgary. This isn't a strange occurrence at all. It's commonplace amongst NHL players regardless of what team they play for.

Hmm, we might be getting off track a little bit. Maybe this would be a better analogy.

In baseball, all teams have hitting coaches, but typically players are responsible for correcting their own swing w/ 3rd party help, especially in the off season. However, the hitting coach's main job is to do some work with the player on their swing, but also to identify when their swing is off so that they can correct it.

I think it is a lot to ask of a 24 year old to be identifying his own problems mid-season. Players, when they are living in the moment, tend not to see the entire picture.

[puckluck2]

Yeah my opinion on Hartley is starting to change and I think he might even be here next year. For a while it looked like there wasn't a chance he'd be back. I think he's helped Backlund a bit.

[Erick Estrada]

It's great to see a good guy like Backlund final have some sustained success but I would like to wait and see how he finishes the season prior to committing to him long term.

[dammage79]

The biggest thing for me watching Backlund break out is the fact he's been healthier than any time before. I can count at least three or four times the last few seasons where he looked poised to break out and show what he's got only to get injured and never get back to the level he was at before his injury.

I think he could have hit this level before if not for the derailing injuries. Really happy to see him reach the level I personally thought he was capable of when healthy for an extended period of time.

It cannot be said enough how badly timed his injuries were before.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Hmm, we might be getting off track a little bit. Maybe this would be a better analogy.

In baseball, all teams have hitting coaches, but typically players are responsible for correcting their own swing w/ 3rd party help, especially in the off season. However, the hitting coach's main job is to do some work with the player on their swing, but also to identify when their swing is off so that they can correct it.

I think it is a lot to ask of a 24 year old to be identifying his own problems mid-season. Players, when they are living in the moment, tend not to see the entire picture.

I agree, but I don't think he was ever tasked with figuring out his own problems. We could guess at it, but I don't know if there is anything to suggest that was the case.

Either way, he has greatly improved, so I think everyone can be pretty pleased with that.

[Dajazz]

Where is this sullivanguy? I'd like his input on this topic.