Flames captain Mikael Backlund suffered an upper-body damage in Wednesday’s shootout loss to the Canucks, the staff confirmed. He’s listed as week-to-week.
Backlund left the sport halfway by way of the primary interval and didn’t return after laying a success on Vancouver defenseman Victor Mancini. The centerman skated off underneath his personal energy however appeared to barely twist his left shoulder/higher arm space whereas making the verify.
With simply over a month remaining within the common season, it’s possible not a campaign-ender for Backlund — at the least, the Flames hope so. In addition they misplaced ahead Connor Zary to a two-game suspension after the loss. Therefore, they’re now down a pair of top-nine fixtures for his or her subsequent two video games, each towards playoff-bound groups within the Avalanche and Maple Leafs, as they appear to outlast the Canucks, Blues, and Utah for the second wild-card spot within the Western Convention.
Backlund, who turns 36 subsequent week, hasn’t missed a recreation because the 2020-21 marketing campaign. His offensive totals have declined over the previous few years, producing simply 11-13–24 by way of 64 video games this yr, however he stays a top-tier defensive ahead. He’s averaged almost 19 minutes per recreation for the Flames this yr whereas controlling 51.8% of shot makes an attempt regardless of seeing solely 37.7% of his even-strength zone begins within the offensive finish.
Now in his seventeenth yr with the Flames, Backlund is within the first season of the two-year, $9M extension he signed in coaching camp in 2023. He’s eligible for unrestricted free company in 2026.
With Backlund confirmed out, Calgary’s recall of winger Dryden Hunt as we speak qualifies as an emergency. They nonetheless have three of their 4 post-deadline remembers remaining after summoning Adam Klapka from the minors earlier this week. Hunt, 29, ranks second on the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, scoring 15-33–48 in 48 video games. The 6-foot depth ahead will presumably draw right into a bottom-six function for his first NHL recreation since Feb. 8, marking his solely NHL look up to now.
