Who is Backlund?

[Stay Golden]

Backlund may be the 2nd line C but I would say he is in the top 5 for importance to a group of forwards on any current team.
JMO the best 2 way forward on the Flames, would not care to see him traded.

[David Struch]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Backlund probably should have won the Selke in 2017

There was never a chance.

2017 Frank J. Selke Trophy 1st Place Votes

Patrice Bergeron 71
Ryan Kesler 45
Mikko Koivu 28
Mikael Backlund 3

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Yeah... it takes a hell of a year for someone not named Patrice Bergeron to be the correct Selke recipient. As ridiculous as O'Reilly was this season I still didn't think it'd be enough. Backlund never has a chance. Doesn't mean he isn't a 2C though, including on a contender.

Backlund has always been good enough for his role. To me it has always been a matter of Monahan not quite measuring up. This past year, he finally looked like a star... until the postseason rolled around, at which point he was completely out-starred by the other team's guy.

[Wastedyouth]

Never heard of him.

[FlatLandFlamesFan]

Are we back here again ?

[Classic_Sniper]

Backlund is a very important player for this team. He might not be your classic #1 or maybe not even your #2 center in terms of offensive firepower. But he might be the team's most dependable and reliable player up the middle.

He defends well, is hard to play against, gets all the tough matchups, can exit and enter the zone with the puck with aplomb and supports the offensive game. For a coach, I'm sure when he's on the ice, there's just that feeling of comfort knowing that he'll push the play in a positive way to help the team win the shift or set up the next line for success.

Backlund doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves for the player he is. But I know I'm glad he's on the team and if we can ever find him a great finisher who can play on both sides of the puck, then his productivity should rise in congruence. Just look at his even strength points in relation to the rest of the team. For the difficult situations he has to play in each game, he's right up there with the Fab 5 of this team.