Flames' Backlund has informed management he is willing to re-sign: report
After months of speculation, it appears that Mikael Backlund is indeed willing to sign an extension with the Calgary Flames.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, Backlund was one of several Flames who expressed hesitancy in signing a new deal. Based off of several reports, he and plenty of his teammates had grown tired of Darryl Sutter. With Sutter now out of the picture, however, it seems that many are now open to an extension, including Backlund.
On his most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman indicated that Backlund has expressed to Flames management that he is willing to sign an extension. Friedman also suggested that if a deal can be worked out, there is a strong possibility that the 34-year-old will be named captain.
“I am under the impression that [the Flames and Backlund] are talking, and I do believe Backlund has indicated he is willing to stay,” Friedman said. “I think the other thing here too is, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit if the Flames are saying, you get this done, you’re our C.”
Friedman also said that the players in the locker room believe that Backlund is the true captain and that the organization is not blind to it. Despite not having a captain for the last two seasons, most believed that Backlund was the main leader in the dressing room, so this doesn’t come as a major surprise.
Despite being 34, Backlund had the best season of his career in 2022-23, scoring 19 goals along with a career-high 56 points in 82 games. The Swedish centreman is the Flames’ longest-tenured player and has been a rock-solid two-way player for the vast majority of his career.
As far as an extension goes, the Flames will want to do everything in their power to avoid it from being too lengthy given Backlund’s age. That said, it wouldn’t come as a major surprise to see the average annual value of the deal come out to a number similar to the $5.35 million he is making on his current contract.
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