Where does Backlund fit in your future plans?

[Codes]

He definitely needs to stay; he's all heart, and loves the Flames. I see him evolving into an excellent 3rd line centre for the Flames, and a key member of the core moving forward.

[killer_carlson]

1 year contract, $2m.

If he can demonstrate he can stay healthy for a year, then sign him to a longer term deal.

I like the guy but you cannot build a team with a player you can only count on for 60 games a season.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

1 year contract, $2m.

If he can demonstrate he can stay healthy for a year, then sign him to a longer term deal.

I like the guy but you cannot build a team with a player you can only count on for 60 games a season.

No one is talking about building the team around him. And there's no way he takes $2M. He was only Calgary's best forward last year. Frankly, $4M would be a home town discount.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

1 year contract, $2m.

If he can demonstrate he can stay healthy for a year, then sign him to a longer term deal.

I like the guy but you cannot build a team with a player you can only count on for 60 games a season.

Backlund signed two very cheap "show me" contracts in a row and IMO he's shown a lot of progress, especially in his two-way game ... offering him another 1 yr contract would be a huge slap in the face and Backlund certainly doesn't deserve that. IMO it's time he's rewarded, period.

[GioforPM]

He also has played basically complete seasons in 3 of the last 4 years before this one.

[united]

He should be retained long-term at a manageable price going forward. He is the perfect C2/C3 for a contending team - someone who can contain the other team's scorers allowing the more offensively gifted players easier minutes, and is an elite penalty killer. Five or six years is what I would aim for.

I do acknowledge he has been injury prone, but when he first broke into the league he had poor conditioning where as he was named the "fittest Flame" in 2013-14 (Gio beat him this season) and has been committed since. Hopefully the worst is behind him.

In addition to Steinberg's article, Backlund also leads Flames forwards in scoring chance differential over the past three seasons at +6.0%, second only to Brodie at +6.2% when considering all players. Despite, like Pat mentioned, him playing significantly more difficult minutes than other forwards. From War-On-Ice


Unique Team Traits: Mikael Backlund, the Calgary Flames, and the secretly great penalty kill
Maybe Mikael Backlund’s not on your radar. Unless you’re a Flames fan, there’s not really a reason he should be. He was drafted in the first round, but not super high (24th). He can score, but his numbers last year weren’t jaw-dropping (18 goals, 39 total points). He’s 6’0”, 198 pounds. He’s 25. In a league of elite athletes, he might come off as somewhere around average.

Only, he’s not. He’s a sneaky smart defensive player with some pop to his stride who kills penalties with the best of them, making anything he brings to the other end that much more valuable. There’s a pinch of Frans Nielsen in his game.

Among regular penalty killers (forwards who logged at least 1:30 of short-handed TOI per game), Mikael Backlund was the eighth best shot suppressor in the NHL, ahead of names like Jordan Staal, David Backes and Sean Couturier. As you may be aware, suppressing shots is more or less the goal of the penalty killer. Of the names ahead of him on the list, only Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins started more of their shifts in the D-zone.

Even amongst his own team he stood out. The Flames gave up a mere 35 shots per 60 minutes with Backlund on the ice, which is 15 better than Matt Stajan’s per-60 number, and no forward on the Flames sees more short-handed ice than Stajan.

To top it all off, Backlund drew short-handed penalties at the 5th best rate among regular penalty killers last season, behind only Jordan Staal, David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Brian Gionta.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

No one is talking about building the team around him. And there's no way he takes $2M. He was only Calgary's best forward last year. Frankly, $4M would be a home town discount.

This kind of thing just baffles me....completely.

The guy has amassed 110 pts in parts of 6 seasons (260 games), has never shown himself able to stay healthy, barely earned his most recent deal and has zero leverage as an RFA...and people think 4 million dollars is some sort of bargain??

I get he finally turned the corner into a solid looking NHL player last year, and finally looks to be getting back to that level in the last couple games.....good...great actually as it is what is expected.

I agree with KC...give him a 1 yr deal, let him prove a) he is at this level for more than half a season and b) that he can actually stay healthy for a season. Maybe 2 million is a tad light, give him 3 or whatever, but make the guy earn his next deal already. If he is all that so many think and completes the requisites of health and production...THEN sign him for 4 or 5 years at bigger dough. Do not anchor yourself with a bad deal though and his could be as we just dont know if he is able to fulfill it.

[GranteedEV]

I hope to grow old with Backlund as a Flame. He's a few months younger than me and i've been a fan of his game since the beginning, when i thought he'd be our #1 guy with Iggy to take us to the promised land. Even if that didn't pan out, I think he's a player you need to retain if you want to contend. Sign him long term, but front-load his contract a bit for when Brodie, Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett, etc are due for big extensions.

[GoJetsGo]

Great question / thread topic...

Despite the obvious sarcastic answer of "The KHL"... Backlund should be one of the best 3rd line centres in the league once Bennett and Monahan take the 1/2 spots in a few years time.

Until then he's a perfect stop gap to play 1st / 2nd line centre.

Great to see the player he's matured into.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by transplant99

This kind of thing just baffles me....completely.

you know what baffles me? This:

Originally Posted by transplant99

The guy has amassed 110 pts in parts of 6 seasons (260 games), has never shown himself able to stay healthy, barely earned his most recent deal and has zero leverage as an RFA...and people think 4 million dollars is some sort of bargain??

last season, Backlund was 3rd in goals and 4th in points on the team, he posted career highs in all offensive categories by a mile and also was a key player defensively and one of the team's best penalty killers. He was one of the team's best forwards and probably the best forward for some stretches. And you'd argue he didn't earn his 1.5m last season? Wow.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by transplant99

This kind of thing just baffles me....completely.

The guy has amassed 110 pts in parts of 6 seasons (260 games), has never shown himself able to stay healthy, barely earned his most recent deal and has zero leverage as an RFA...and people think 4 million dollars is some sort of bargain??

I get he finally turned the corner into a solid looking NHL player last year, and finally looks to be getting back to that level in the last couple games.....good...great actually as it is what is expected.

I agree with KC...give him a 1 yr deal, let him prove a) he is at this level for more than half a season and b) that he can actually stay healthy for a season. Maybe 2 million is a tad light, give him 3 or whatever, but make the guy earn his next deal already. If he is all that so many think and completes the requisites of health and production...THEN sign him for 4 or 5 years at bigger dough. Do not anchor yourself with a bad deal though and his could be as we just dont know if he is able to fulfill it.

I agree as an RFA he doesn't have as much leverage.

But read this:

http://flamesfrom80feet.blogspot.ca/...on-player.html

and this:

http://www.matchsticksandgasoline.co...odie-contracts

Backlund has some of the best stats on the team, possession wise. he's a good age, and his injuries (which really affected two out of 5 seasons including this one) have been unrelated to each other (finger, shoulder, hernia).

[Phanuthier]

Re-sign, solid #2 center. I think his offense is really underrated cause, well, his stats suck.

I know we have a lot of prospect centers, so we'll see - they haven't proven anything in the NHL, when they do, by then things might change with Backlund.

[Enoch Root]

As many have said, a great 3C, and a more than adequate 1C/2C for now, while rebuilding. Sure, injuries have been an issue. But on the other hand, he has shown tremendous, and indisputable, progress over the last year or so. He is looking right now like Calgary's best forward at the moment.

Not sure without Capgeek, but it looks to me like next year would be the last RFA year as it is year 7 for him, plus he would hit 27 before its over. So either one more, or maybe two more RFA years.

If that's the case, then a 4 year deal would include 2, probably 3, UFA years. That being the case, $4M per would be a pretty good price.

His RFA year (or 2) is probably worth $3m - $3.5M. His UFA years are probably worth at least $4M and rising.

We're talking about a contract for ages 26 through 29.

I think $4M per would be a bargain.

[GoJetsGo]

The salary issue is a tough one because while he's been very good the last 12 months... he hasn't shown he can stay healthy.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by devo22

you know what baffles me? This:


last season, Backlund was 3rd in goals and 4th in points on the team, he posted career highs in all offensive categories by a mile and also was a key player defensively and one of the team's best penalty killers. He was one of the team's best forwards and probably the best forward for some stretches. And you'd argue he didn't earn his 1.5m last season? Wow.

Not hard to do when the previous highs were more suited to a 4th line grinder than some sort of offensive centerman....Anton freaking Babchuk outscored him that year, so wow indeed.

Sorry, but this guy simply didnt earn anything more than what he received this season....now that doesnt mean he shouldnt get a bump moving forward, but 4 million dollars for 4 years seems ludicrous.

[FlamesAddiction]

His durability is worrisome.

I see Backlund as a Matt Stajan type of player. A good 3rd line centre on a good team, but capable of playing up to the 2nd line frequently.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Not hard to do when the previous highs were more suited to a 4th line grinder than some sort of offensive centerman....Anton freaking Babchuk outscored him that year, so wow indeed.

Sorry, but this guy simply didnt earn anything more than what he received this season....now that doesnt mean he shouldnt get a bump moving forward, but 4 million dollars for 4 years seems ludicrous.

yes, he was outscored by Anton Babchuk in 2010-11. But that has absolutely nothing to do with Backlunds play last season and in the games so far this season, and this is all that matters in contract negotiations going forward. He's improved a lot over the last 4 seasons, I don't think anyone would disagree. He was already a .5 PPG player during the lockout-shortened season and he was again last season. Plus, Backlund means much more to the Flames than just offense. It's his two-way play and his penalty killing that carries a lot of value IMO and the Flames have definitely missed him in that regard this season.

I don't think 4 x 4 for a player like is ludicrous at all in today's NHL (and judging from this thread, it doesn't seem like I'm alone on this), but hey, we'll see.

[FBI]

Have to disagree with t99 here on the 1 year deal idea.. As other posters have said, that would be a huge slap in the face..
He signs a show-me deal, shows progress, signs another show-me deal, shows even more progress. How many show-me deals does he need to sign?

Let's not take advantage of the fact that he bleeds red and is so passionate about the flames. (don't think management will do this however)

[Calgary4LIfe]

For me, Backlund is a core piece now and a core piece moving forward.

Things I really like about Backlund:
- Non-stop motor. This is so underrated. Many people really dislike Glencross because essentially, he doesn't have that motor. Glencross is fast and is an undeserving whipping-boy at times as they expect full-out effort. However, I am of the mindset that not very many players can maintain a high-level of pace throughout an entire shift and throughout an entire game - Backlund can!
- Speed! Speed with his non-stop motor just makes him a relentless player. With him in the lineup, the Flames are a much more speedy team and they become more difficult to contain.
- Defensive ability - led the Flames last year in SHGs (and amongst the league leaders). The penalty kill has missed him greatly. Hartley I would argue has missed him for his shutdown abilities, and this makes it much easier for Hartley to line-match if he chooses. Makes it tougher on the other team to match lines against Calgary as well.
- IQ - It seems that Backlund 'thinks' the game very well and always seems to go to the right areas of the ice. He anticipates VERY well. He seems to not only make very smart decisions out there, but he makes them quickly.
- Character - Name one player outside of Giordano that is more 'Flame' than Backlund. He loves being here, and he will continually do everything that is asked of him.

Things I don't like:
- Injury concerns. However, I will take a guy like Backlund who seems to have a run of 'bad luck' having these weird injuries everywhere, rather than a guy with a history of the same issue. Backlund doesn't have a 'bad knee' that gets re-injured, or has the very scary 'multiple-concussions' thing going on. Definitely don't like his injury issues - and I do feel they are a legitimate concern - but at least they aren't the repetitive type of injuries.
- Offence. I still think Backlund is underrated offensively, but he absolutely needs to start showing more of it. In my mind, he needs skilled guys who work with speed. Iginla wasn't that in the short trials they put Backlund with Iginla. Glencross is a good shot, but not much in the way of being skilled. Ideal line mates for Backlund would be skilled guys who can score and have speed. Byron would be awesome with him if he was able to score more regularly. Backlund is a good playmaker, even at high speed. Gaudreau, Poirier, Klimchuk, Bennett (Bennet playing wing for the first season, and then switching them around the second season if need be) are the kinds of players that I think Backlund would work well with. Granlund is a guy who I think could be great with Backlund if Granlund is able to increase his footspeed. I think Backlund is a guy that you can throw out on any line and have him do a good job defensively, but he isn't the type of center that can create offence with just anyone it seems. I do think he has great potential to be an EXCELLENT 2-way center (and that means EXCELLENT offensively - in the 60+ points range at his height) if given a line mate or two with speed and skill.

I do think if he is not part of the 'core', then he is right on that bubble. If he increases his face-off ability, I would argue he just may the league's top shutdown center. To be that terrible at faceoffs and still be so effective at shutting down the opposing teams - that is just damn good. If he was consistently a 55+% faceoff man, I would throw around the word 'elite' when it comes to Backlund.

With that being said, there is going to be a heck of a lot of competition for Backlund coming up through the ranks. You have Arnold who is VERY good defensively, is good at faceoffs and who plays a more rugged and 'traditional' shut-down role (though I do know he is scoring well in the AHL). People think Granlund can become better than Backlund - I don't think so, at least not defensively, because he simply can not match Backlund's speed and non-stop motor. Flames just acquired Shore - maybe he becomes a more reliable scorer with size (but doesn't use it much) who can shut-down the opposition on the third line. Jankowski I will argue might be Backlund's biggest challenge to that third line role based on his size, footspeed and IQ. Jankowski may leave Providence as a nearly NHL-ready shutdown center, but that isn't for another couple of years.

I think Backlund can transition to the wing nicely if need be. I think any team can use a player like him who has excellent speed, hockey IQ, shutdown ability and still offensive enough to be at least a solid depth contributor (which he has been) and that beautiful non-stop motor that I imagine gives the other team fits.

Having a first line with Bennett (relentless, fast, non-stop motor) with Backlund on the third line (relentless, fast, non-stop motor) will be huge for the Flames moving forward in terms of being able to line-match well, as well as being very difficult to match lines against. Of course Monahan as a second line center (one could argue will be just as good as having another 1st line center) who is also a very capable 2-way center at the tender age of 20 pushes this team to a very difficult to stop organization, and one that is difficult to play against.

If another center in the organization pushes Backlund out of his spot, then GREAT. Backlund instantly gives any line some VERY good shut-down ability and will at the very least not impede a line offensively.

There are simply not that many players in the NHL that can match Backlund's all-around defensive game and has his speed and motor. He is a core piece.

[Bingo]

he's a loyal guy that has always felt bad about his injury issues so I think this season and the timing of his contract coming up should give both sides a chance to do something that works both ways.

He makes less but gets term.

10M over 3 years.