Flames' Backlund says there was "a lot of negative leadership" under Sutter

If there were some who remained skeptical about reports throughout the season that the vast majority of Calgary Flames players couldn’t stand Darryl Sutter, they have to be convinced by now.

Despite being fired on May 1, Sutter’s name has continued to be discussed by the media as several players have taken shots at the 64-year-old. Recently, Jonathan Huberdeau said the upcoming season with Ryan Huska behind the bench will be more fun. Now, Mikael Backlund, who interviewed with Swedish site hockeysverige.se, also opened up on frustrations with the former bench boss.

“There wasn’t much of a difference from him [from one season to the next],” Backlund said in Swedish (translated with Google Translate). “The difference was that we lost. When you win, that leadership style works, but when you lose, you don’t sync as well. There was a lot of negative leadership and it can be tough. We had the same leadership the year before, but when you win you can live with it. If you lose, the negative leadership becomes tougher.”

While Backlund’s comments don’t seem to be as big of a shot at his former coach compared to what some of his teammates have said, the two weren’t believed to have the greatest relationship. MacKenzie Weegar recently said that the two would have plenty of f*ck-you matches in the dressing room, this coming despite Backlund’s superb play this past season.

Whether or not his fighting with Sutter played a part, Backlund’s future with the Flames is very much in question. The 34-year-old has just one season remaining on his contract and doesn’t seem willing to sign an extension at this point. He once again failed to commit to the organization when asked about his future by Hockeysverige.

“It’s not about money, the financial aspect is secondary to me. It’s more me [sitting] and [thinking] about the future and what I want to do,” Backlund explained. “I’ve been in Calgary for a very long time and love the city and have had a great time there, but we haven’t gone as far in the playoffs as you would have liked. It’s my responsibility, too, so I don’t blame others. But you think about it and what happened last year.”

Backlund is currently the longest-tenured player on the team and has a strong chance at being named its next captain should he sign an extension. In 82 games last season, he scored 19 goals and a career-high 56 points.

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