Flames' Backlund not happy with trade noise surrounding team: report
Things are a bit gloomy surrounding the Calgary Flames.
Despite some recent success, much of the talk surrounding the Flames has been about what the team plans to do with their pending UFAs. The futures of Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov have all been hot topics in Calgary, with Zadorov recently going public with a trade request.
This off-ice drama is sure to affect the team. According to Elliotte Friedman during the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Flames captain Mikail Backlund has already taken some measures to ensure his team is focused on the right thing.
Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC š° pic.twitter.com/1s7BW9fSVj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 19, 2023
“From what I understand, Backlund spoke to some of the players. I don’t know if it was in a group or if it was one-on-one, but he said, ‘We have to end the noise; there are too many distractions around the team… if you don’t wanna be [in Calgary] let the general manager know, and we’ll figure it out but, for as long as you are here, no more noise, we have to play,'” reported Friedman.
Friedman implied that these conversations happened shortly after Zadorov’s trade request went public and could be a factor in why the team has been playing better of late.
Fans in Calgary should be happy to see this from their captain. Backlund is currently the longest-serving member of the Flames, having been with the team since the 2008/09 season. He was named captain of the team shortly before the season started.
Backlund is, however, off to a rather slow start to the season. After scoring 56 points in 82 games last season, the Flames captain has only managed two goals and seven points in the first 17 games of the year so far.
We’ll see if Calgary can keep the noise to the outside when they are in Seattle to take on the Kraken tomorrow night.
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