[Rumour] Backlund leaning towards not re-signing with Flames

[Jason14h]

Flames can take salary dumps with one or two years left to facilitate trades

Some may even bounce back with a change of scenery and more playing time and be trade deadline chips

We still need to ice a roster . Nothing wrong taking other teams mistakes

[cam_wmh]

I genuinely fear Murray says push the chips in with this existing roster, overrules Conroy, Flames finish 7th, get rinsed in the first round and those 4 material assets walk for zilch.

[Owen15]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I am!

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I’m excited for whatever the team does. Not always thrilled but I still remember listening to games on the radio in the first year they were here.

Always going to be a fan.

Search my posts, it proves out.

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[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

I genuinely fear Murray says push the chips in with this existing roster, overrules Conroy, Flames finish 7th, get rinsed in the first round and those 4 material assets walk for zilch.

Don’t worry about that. Steinberg was clear on the radio today that if those guys don’t sign the Flames are trading them

[camm13]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Do you really think so? I very much doubt it because any team making these trades will be prioritising a long term commitment. The reason the Tkachuk trade worked out like it did is because Florida was already committed to a long term commitment, which is also the reason why they needed to clear salary in order to acquire him in the first place.

I think a team like the Avs could be interested in a stop gap in Backlund with Landeskog still potentially out next season. They've missed Kadri at 2C, non of their young guys really look ready for that role atm. They'd probably need Flames to back a contract as they have $12M in space, with only 13/23 contracts signed.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by camm13

I think a team like the Avs could be interested in a stop gap in Backlund with Landeskog still potentially out next season. They've missed Kadri at 2C, non of their young guys really look ready for that role atm. They'd probably need Flames to back a contract as they have $12M in space, with only 13/23 contracts signed.

I think they'd just go all in and try for Lindholm

[browna]

Originally Posted by AndyM

I thought he “really, really” wanted to be captain.

My guess is Conroy has told him no, that's he's not going to be automatically anointed capitan as he's wished.

So, his campaign to oust Sutter post season, in part (not entirely, but in part) becuase Sutter didn't give him the role, was for naught.

As mentioned in another thread, I do fear some of this stuff getting out and into the media in an inexperienced Conroy letting it happen (lost of players are unhappy with change and may ask for moves in the weeks leading up, not all end of leaving in the end) could be an issue with these and any other returns the Flames try and negotiate.

[Ferarri]

The Backlund situation has been puzzling for awhile now. Requests a trade last year and then pulls back on that once Huberdeau and Kadri are brought it. Then rumours float around that he badly wants to be captain and today we hear the news he wants out again. I don’t get what’s going on with him. Is it a simple as seeing that others want out and now he knows that if he wants to win then the best way to do that is by leaving? From all the chatter we’ve heard today about players wanting out there must be a lot more behind the scenes in that locker room that we don’t know about. I mean they got their wish in removing Sutter yet there still seems to be a mass exodus going to occur. Very strange times.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by camm13

I think a team like the Avs could be interested in a stop gap in Backlund with Landeskog still potentially out next season. They've missed Kadri at 2C, non of their young guys really look ready for that role atm. They'd probably need Flames to back a contract as they have $12M in space, with only 13/23 contracts signed.

I know people have brought this up but I don't think so. What separates good GMs from great ones seems to be the willingness to let non-franchise players go and not get goaded to signing to restrictive contracts. Sakic is smarter than that.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Ferarri

The Backlund situation has been puzzling for awhile now. Requests a trade last year and then pulls back on that once Huberdeau and Kadri are brought it. Then rumours float around that he badly wants to be captain and today we hear the news he wants out again. I don’t get what’s going on with him. Is it a simple as seeing that others want out and now he knows that if he wants to win then the best way to do that is by leaving? From all the chatter we’ve heard today about players wanting out there must be a lot more behind the scenes in that locker room that we don’t know about. I mean they got their wish in removing Sutter yet there still seems to be a mass exodus going to occur. Very strange times.

I think with the exception of Backlund guys are probably not wanting to sign extensions at this time because the cap is going to jump significantly in their UFA year. With Backlund I think it's more wanting a new start with a legit contender. I think we will see more players opt for UFA in 2024 than ever before. I don't even think for these guys that don't want to extend that they want out of Calgary as much as they want to get overpaid come 2024.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by browna

My guess is Conroy has told him no, that's he's not going to be automatically anointed capitan as he's wished.

So, his campaign to oust Sutter post season, in part (not entirely, but in part) becuase Sutter didn't give him the role, was for naught.

As mentioned in another thread, I do fear some of this stuff getting out and into the media in an inexperienced Conroy letting it happen (lost of players are unhappy with change and may ask for moves in the weeks leading up, not all end of leaving in the end) could be an issue with these and any other returns the Flames try and negotiate.

How would Conroy stop agents from leaking to the media that their client wants out. Hanifin and Backlund control where they go. Toffoli and Lindholm do not. It is all of their advantage to get as many teams as possible interested in them. More teams = higher contract.

[CSharp]

Backlund is so wishy washy. Probably why he'll never be a captain anywhere.

[transplant99]

Backlund interview in Swedish.....translated by google.

"It's not about money, the financial aspect is secondary to me. It's more me who sits and thinks about the future and what I want to do, says Mikael Backlund when Hockeysverige.se meet him in connection with the NHL Awards in Nashville, where he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his humanitarian efforts in society.

"I've been in Calgary for a very long time and love the city and have had a great time there, but we haven't gone as far in the playoffs as you would have liked. It's my responsibility too, so I don't blame others. But you think about it and what happened last year.

The Flames lost big stars Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk last summer.

"There were three great leaders and profiles in the team who disappeared and that changed the dynamic. It was a big change," says Backlund, who also counts defenseman Erik Gudbranson among the lost key players.

"The new guys who came in are all good guys, but we didn't get it right early and everyone should find their place. We didn't get it right. It was a tough season, a big disappointment. There was a lot of ups and downs. We were able to play great in one game and then we coddled the next and the next. It became a bit of a vicious circle that was difficult to get out of. It became very negative.

After the season, reports have trickled out that it was not only between him (Sutter) and Huberdeau, but with large parts of the squad

"There wasn't really much difference between him (Sutter)," says Mikael Backlund.
"The difference was that we lost. When you win, that leadership style works, but when you lose, you don't sync as well. There is a lot of negative leadership and it can be tough. We had the same leadership the year before, but when you win, maybe you can live with that. If you lose, the negative leadership becomes tougher.

On Huska

"He's a good person who's smart and has a good hockey brain. He has shown over the years that he has a good drive, loves hockey and wants to win. He cares about Calgary and wants us to get back to being a top team again. I've worked a lot with him, especially in boxplay, and I believe in him as a coach," Backlund said of Huska, who has been in the Flames organization since 2014.

"I'm looking forward with Conroy, Huska and the new leadership staff, which I think will be great. Then we will see what we come up with. That's how I think and that's where I stand.

https://hockeysverige.se/2023/07/03/...calgary-flames

[Bingo]

Would sure like to know what this means ...

"The difference was that we lost. When you win, that leadership style works, but when you lose, you don't sync as well. There is a lot of negative leadership and it can be tough. We had the same leadership the year before, but when you win, maybe you can live with that. If you lose, the negative leadership becomes tougher.

Negative leadership. Same leadership as the year before?

[heep223]

Seems to be referring to Sutter, when you’re winning you can deal with an ####### coach, when you’re losing it’s harder to deal with an ####### coach as well.

[devo22]

I would think he means Sutter being a tough, old-school coach. If you win, players roll with it - but if you don't ...

[Toonage]

Yep. Sutter deals in negative reinforcement. Fine (to an extent I'd imagine) if you're winning, grating (at best) if you're losing.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I would guess that means Sutter is almost always negative. Browbeating players on the mistakes they make. Makes some sense as that would be his public persona as well.

The only issue I take with Backlund is that he was a leader. He didn't need a C to take charge of that room and help turn things around. Love the guy, but some of it is on him as well.

[Erick Estrada]

Sutter is one of those guys that isn't happy happy win or lose. His belief was to never let off the gas or let the players become complacent. When the team is winning the mood in the locker room is a lot more upbeat and players can filter out the negative noise from the coach. When they aren't winning and the locker room is down and frustrated I imagine the constant negativity becomes insufferable.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Would sure like to know what this means ...



Negative leadership. Same leadership as the year before?

I am assuming he means that he is negative the majority of the time which kind of jives with that earlier article that he lost the room when he ripped into them after the 5-1 start.

Weegar also said Backlund was his whipping boy and they went at it.

Hard to say for sure since its a translated article maybe he meant something else.

Thankfully that dark time is over and he got fired and we can move on now.