Lets Talk About Mr. Backlund

[Enoch Root]

Good job, OP - that was a thorough post.

I have always been a Backlund supporter. But here's my problem with him: he just doesn't generate enough offense. Sure, he gets shots, but no finish - and it's a results league. We have been waiting and waiting for him to break out, but it isn't going to happen. He is what he is.

And that's fine - as a 3rd line C, he gives you about as much offense as you can reasonably expect. Let's call him as average 3rd line C.

Again, no problem. EXCEPT, the Flames are small and soft. We need a 3rd line C that plays harder, tougher minutes. Monahan and Stajan don't play hard either. We desperately need to get bigger and tougher down the middle.

And if it comes down to Backlund or Stajan, I would rather have Stajan. If we could re-sign Stajan for maybe $1.5 - 2M per, I think he would be a great 4th line C who brings leadership and can occasionally fight above his weight class.

I don't see any intangibles from Backlund. Give me more points, or more heavy minutes, or more leadership. Something.

I don't think he can. And therefore, I think the team needs to upgrade his spot (upgrade with respect to the teams' particular needs).

Man, I hope Jankowski get reach his potential!

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

And if it comes down to Backlund or Stajan, I would rather have Stajan. If we could re-sign Stajan for maybe $1.5 - 2M per, I think he would be a great 4th line C who brings leadership and can occasionally fight above his weight class.

We don't need to re-sign Stajan, he's signed for 2 more years IIRC. And I'm not sure we'd want him back after that.

[robbie111]

Granlund has been the player that has stabalized the penalty kill. He is way more effective killing penalties than Backlund.

I hope Backlund still has room for growth but am unsure how much his surgery last season with the mesh being put in him has affected him. I like Backlund but I see way more upside with Granlund.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

We don't need to re-sign Stajan, he's signed for 2 more years IIRC. And I'm not sure we'd want him back after that.

Thought it was one more - my mistake.

But I'm cool with 2. By then, Monahan and Bennett will be (some of) the leaders of the team.

[Stay Golden]

Backlund is too hot and cold for my liking as a 2nd line center. Bennett will surpass him once Hartley is fully comfortable with Bennett at center. However Backlund is still far better 5 on 5 than Colborne.

[Caged Great]

The main reason why I have thrown out ideas of trading him is because he is skilled. The Flames are very flush with centers organizationally. Dealing him for another area of need would maximize the asset and he would be replaced internally. I'm sure that one of Jankowski, Arnold, or Granlund could grow into being an equivalent replacement.

In order to get something of quality you have to give up something of quality with very few exceptions. Center depth is the greatest strength organizationally. If some of that can be cashed in to address a weakness would be a good thing. If Calgary could acquire an equivalent RW talent as Backlund (say another Frolik because that's about as close as I can think of off the top of my head) then that would be perfectly acceptable. If he's one of the pieces in a trade for a big prospect like Drouin, that would also be perfectly fine.

If the Flames decide to keep him long term, that's also a good thing. He's one of the few pieces that is potentially tradeable that has value. That's the only reason why I think he's being mentioned in trade scenarios.

[killer_carlson]

This will be the last season he is a Flame, imo.

[DeluxeMoustache]

There are several factors
- what the fans with history expect
- what the coach tasks him with
- what he does
- how much he makes
- (others)

I think he does a good job at what Hartley appears to be asking of him.

[Samonadreau]

If he was more physical and/or better in the dot he would be a great 3rd line center... but hes neither. Not sure if you win a cup with him.

If he was more physical i would also try him on the wing but hes a marshmallow on skates.

In all seriousness though i think if he just had a little more finish on his shots and offensive play he would have more people buy his stock. And that would essentially make him an actual 2nd line center.

[Calgary4LIfe]

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.

[Dajazz]

Young centre putting up 30-45 points while playing the tough assignments with likes of Colborne, Jones etc for 3M/year. Passes the eye test and the stat test. Pretty good I'd say.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Crumpy-Gunt

He hasn't lived up to the hype but that's because the hype was that he'd be Iginlas dynamic Swedish centre and the saviour of the franchise along with Sven.

When he was drafted he was viewed as a good 2-way center with 2nd line upside. I don't remember anyone getting more carried away than that.

He certainly was never viewed as the solution to the top line center problem.

[BeltlineFan]

The problem is people still remember him as a first round draft pick. If we picked him in say the fourth round, he would be having a fantastic career for such a low pick. Just imagine we picked Johnny where we picked Backlund and vice versa.

I'm actually blown away when I see people comparing Backlund's play to Colborne's after a game, Mikael is a much better player. I was at the game on Monday and my friend and I both agreed he was one of the better forwards that game.

[David Struch]

Let's not forget about Backlund being named an Alternate Captain for a time.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by David Struch

Let's not forget about Backlund being named an Alternate Captain for a time.

True. But he's not any more, which is a bit of a negative, no?

I don't mind him at all. But if he and Stajan are close in their role and you can get more out of a trade for Backlund (which is a given) and if you think one of Jankowski/Arnold/Shore/Grant will fill a role adequately, you might trade Backlund.

[Poe969]

I'm someone who wants to trade Backlund...not because he's terrible or that the team would be better off without him but I'd trade him if it made the team better. If we lost Backlund, the team would take a bit of a step back because he's a defensive center but at the same time, you have to give something to get something. If a team is looking for a solid #3 guy who can be depended on the PK and chip in occasionally, he's the guy. So if a team is willing to over pay for him or if we can get a really good return, he'd likely have to be traded. I don't think he should be traded for picks...unless it's a first...but if we could trade him+ for Drouin, you'd have to jump on that.

If we want to make any trades for good players, we'd have to give up a good player(s). Backlund isn't part of the core or a long term piece, he's great to have but he's expendable.

[DuffMan]

I like Backlund. He had a few tough plays last game, but who doesn't every once in awhile.

[puckedoff]

Backlund is terrible. Soft, turns the puck over in neutral/offensive zone all the time, no offense. He is my scapegoat when Raymond is scratched, and even sometimes when Raymond is playing, which says something.

[vicarious]

I think he's great and should be kept on this team long term for his defensive and PK abilities. The other potential replacements are 2-3 years away from reaching his level of play.
A couple of seasons ago he seemed to have more offensive creativity, moving his feet better and using his speed as he's an excellent skater. These days he has a tendency to simply gain the zone and then put a weak shot on net from just inside the blue line (corsi stats padded, line change).

[saillias]

Wish he had a little extra something. Speed, strength, skill, size, hands, IQ. If he was just a little better at one thing he would be really valuable player.