Lindholm and Backlund leaning towards leaving Flames: report
Three huge names on the Calgary Flames roster may not be with the team for much longer.
Speaking on the Big Show with Rusic & Rose, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli dropped some huge news regarding a few Flames players entering the final season of their respective contracts. According to Seravalli, Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, and Noah Hanifin are all leaning towards going elsewhere.
“The general speculation around the league is that Elias Lindholm is leaning towards not re-signing with the Flames, but to my knowledge, has not given them an official no. Noah Hanifin, on the other hand, has verbalized that he’s likely to not re-sign and obviously under contract for one more year, would prefer ultimately to play elsewhere.
“Here’s the name that I learned yesterday that I was pretty surprised to hear. Another one of those guys entering the final year of his deal and has been a staple in Calgary forever is Mikael Backlund. At this exact moment in time, subject to change, is also leaning towards not re-signing with the Flames.”
Regarding Hanifin’s situation, it doesn’t come as a surprise, given that there has been some speculation for a few days now suggesting he would like to look elsewhere. The hope for Lindholm and Backlund, however, was that removing Darryl Sutter as head coach may have them more inclined to stay.
Lindholm, 28, will enter the 2023-24 season with a cap hit of just $4.85 million but is expected to get nearly double that salary on a new deal. He has been a superb centerman since joining the Flames, proven by his 139 goals and 325 points in 369 games with the organization.
According to Seravalli, general manager Craig Conroy recently met with Lindholm’s camp and told them they are prepared to roll out the red carpet to get him extended.
Backlund, 34, is the Flames’ longest-tenured player. Any concern of age beginning to slow him down was erased this season, as he recorded a career-best 56 points in 82 games. If he were to stick around, he would have a great chance at becoming the Flames’ new captain.
While Seravalli was careful to note that both Lindholm and Backlund have not yet made a final decision, this is a very unsettling update for Flames fans, as well as for Conroy. The 51-year-old could be in store for a very busy and stressful summer.
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