[Rumour] Flames will name captain this season

[Calgary4LIfe]

I think my order would be Backlund, Tanev and Lucic.



Backlund doesn't complain about his usage, and he has been very pro-Flames (remember his "Luongo Sucks" comment when playing video games?). One of the hardest workers in the community. Longest tenured Flame here too.


Tanev - workhorse and is supposedly really good in the room.



Lucic - the only drawback here in my mind is that he has a bloated salary, and if there is ever an option to dump him, the Flames would be foolish not to do so. Other than that, he would be a great captain.


Tkachuk I can't see. A 'rat' should never be a captain. He may be our rat, but he is still a rat and I would rather one not be the captain. Besides, he is constantly involved with extra-curriculars out on the ice, it doesn't make sense for me to have him as the captain. Disagree with this, and that's fine - but if Tkachuk isn't willing to sign long-term soon, Flames should trade him this off-season, and I would rather they not put themselves in the situation of once again losing their captain in the off-season two seasons in a row.

[Strange Brew]

If ever a club needed someone to play their way into this role, this is it.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Honestly I hope the team gets burned down at the trade deadline/next off-season, meaning that at the end of the day I don’t really care who is captain anymore.

That's a strange thing to hope for. I hope that playing under Sutter with guys who play his style have this team succeeding like Isles West and contending for a cup.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

If ever a club needed someone to play their way into this role, this is it.

Yeah, just let someone earn it when the season starts. Take a few months to pick one. What’s the rush?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by strange brew

if ever a club needed someone to play their way into this role, this is it.

100%

[CsInMyBlood]

Backlund is the most deserving and obvious choice to me.

-Has only played for this franchise and been a Flame the longest.

-Plays every role, PP, PK, top 6, bottom 6.

-Plays a 200 foot game.

-Always makes his linemates better regardless of how scrubby they are. See: Lance Bouma, David Jones, Joe Colborne, Sam Bennett, Micheal Frolik, Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapaine, Joakim Nordstrom, Milan Lucic.

-This year won his second Ralph and Sonia Scurfield Humanitarian Award (The Flames player who best exemplifies perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice)

-This year was The Flames nominee for the King Clancy Award (NHL player who best demonstrates leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made significant humanitarian contributions to his community)

-In 2018 Captained Sweden to a Gold medal at the Worlds. Sweden was perfect with Backlund as captain, running the table to a 10-0 record. Here is some of the article https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/a-go...nt/c-298716768 after winning the gold from his coaches and teammates:

He earned some positive reviews in his first go-round representing Sweden with the 'C'.

"Tremendous job," Sweden head coach Rikard Gronborg said.

"I knew we had a good captain, but he did more than I thought he would do. He took tremendous ownership of the whole process of the players and he was a great link between the coaching staff and the players. Even before, he was doing the scheduling every day. That's the type of player he is. It was easy for us to reach the players because he was such a great link.

"Tremendous hockey player, tremendous person and a great leader."

Johan Garpenlov, Sweden's assistant coach, a three-time skater in past tournaments, and a veteran of 609 NHL games logged with stints with the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers, echoed the thought.

"He's done a great job for us," Garpenlov said. "He's our leader, obviously, our captain. On and off the ice he's such a good player. He shows up every game, every shift. He makes the guys feel comfortable out there, even in the dressing room. He's done a great job."

From the coaches perspective, Backlund did a bang-up job.

From his teammates perspective?

Much of the same.

"Just great, great leader," said teammate and Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg. "Great player. Obviously playing against him a lot in Calgary, you see the two-way game that he brings. He's got a really high skill set but still one of the best defensive centers in the league.

"Coming in here, he was a guy taking charge, talking a lot, just being vocal in the locker room and leading on the ice. He was one of our best players every game I played here.

"I'm just proud to be his teammate."

The role was natural for Backlund, who in Calgary has sported an 'A' from time to time and was the recipient of the J.R. McCaig Award, given by the Flames to both the player and staff member who best exemplify McCaig's enduring virtues of respect, courtesy and compassion for all individuals he encountered both in his professional and everyday life in March.



Backlund would get my vote.

[Hanna Sniper]

I don't see Sutter stripping Tkachuk or Monahan

I say Monahan is promoted and his A is given to Hanifin (or Tanev). Lucic is the logical player but I can't imagine 3 forwards with the letters

[Buff]

Look at us discussing who is a good candidate to be captain like we have a clue. We don't.

That said, I don't know if I like anyone on the team to be the captain. There's a reason why they signed all these 4th liner and bottom pairing players. None of them will be the captain but they're needed to bring in a tireless work effort to the team and show the stars how to play their game "with pace".

[Yoho]

This is so depressing.

[dammage79]

I think the morning morning guys are correct. It's gonna be Dad.

With the same "A"s as usual.

Although I think Lindy needs to replace one of the 3 assistant captain full time. Take the A off Chucky and Backs.

[dissentowner]

Backlund would be a terrible choice. Quiet meek player, I don't see anything that screams Captain to me. Just because he is the longest tenured Flame means nothing. He is also a player the Flames should be looking at moving on from in the near future. What a fail that choice would be, I can't see it.

[GioforPM]

I don’t know if Backlund even wants it. He only just got an A last season, no?

[djsFlames]

I actually think Backlund is one of the better character players, and one of the most mature ones.

He had a quiet season, but he had stretches about every year before that where he would drag the team into battle and produce at a rate beyond that which was expected for him, and usually down the stretch when the other top players would drop off.

He was the only player to really "elevate" Bennett over his time as a Flame, he centered one of the most consistent lines we've had over multiple seasons with 3M, he hates our rivals and produces against them and is the longest tenured Flame.

I don't see what's not to like, but people here tend to let recent history determine their perspective. But really, no one was very good last spring.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I’d have no issue seeing Backlund rewarded. He plays the right way

If he’s good enough to captain his nation’s team and lead them to victory, that’s not a small achievement

[Bonded]

Meh on Backlund. I'm all for Tkachuk. The Flames will have to win ugly and he is the best captain for that.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

That's a strange thing to hope for. I hope that playing under Sutter with guys who play his style have this team succeeding like Isles West and contending for a cup.

Oh I’ll be cheering them on from the dome every game and enjoying it.

I just don’t see much success coming, and don’t believe the team has the foundation to be successful. I think the team needs to bottom out and build through top-5 picks, and I hope they do. Much more exciting to watch the team build itself up rather than scramble for mediocrity.

Outside of Tkachuk or Lindholm, I don’t think the team has a player that can bring in a “new era”. Backlund or Tanev being named captain would be like when the Oilers named Ethan Moreau captain in my eyes.

[camm13]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I don’t know if Backlund even wants it. He only just got an A last season, no?

He's been an A for years.

[monkeyman]

I think it's pointless for anyone outside the locker room to speculate on who would or wouldn't be a good captain. They should chose someone with an even keel, who will hold players accountable, all players and who can bring cohesion to the room. Regardless of tenure or the number of points he gets.
I'm sure there's an obvious choice, but only the guys in the room know who that is.

[FlamesAddiction]

Sutter has always loved Backlund. I remember back when he was a rookie and a reporter asked Backlund during training camp where he saw himself playing that season, or something along those lines and Sutter answered the question for them and said "playing for the Calgary Flames".

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by camm13

He's been an A for years.

Looked it up - 3 seasons now. Seems like yesterday because of COVID I guess.

I guess I’m just comparing to Monahan (and to Tkachuk who got his A at the same time as Backlund despite years less seniority).