The Calgary Flames announced that Mikael Backlund is out day-to-day with an unspecified injury prior to tonight’s game. The announcement came just prior to the evening’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers. There is no further timetable regarding his return at this time.
#Flames Roster Update: Mikael Backlund will not play tonight. He is listed as day-to-day.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 3, 2021
Flames Mikael Backlund Day-To-Day
Backlund isn’t dominating this year, but he is still having a fine campaign at 31-years-old. The veteran centre has collected six goals and 19 points in 36 games while shooting 6.3 percent on 95 shots. He also holds very good possesions stats with a 53 percent Corsi For and 1.6 relative Corsi. Backlund may not be appearing often on the stat sheet, but there is no doubt he is driving play at a high level as an important part of Calgary’s top-six.
The Flames originally drafted Backlund in the first round of the 2007 Draft and have watched him develop into a key contributor. The native of Sweden scored at least 45 points from 2015-16 through 2019-20 and received Selke votes in each of those four seasons. He is thirteenth in scoring from 2007 draftees despite being the 24th player drafted. He has 151 goals and 384 points in 726 games. It’s a very good career for someone who didn’t come from the top of the class.
How Calgary Replaces Backlund
The Flames shuffled their lines prior to the Oilers game, moving Dillon Dube back to the active lineup. The same lineup could remain in place if Backlund is out for more than just the one contest. It’s worth noting that Calgary could also draw upon their taxi squad as well. That would mean more ice time for someone like Zac Rinaldo or Dominik Simon. Losing Backlund certainly isn’t ideal, but it has already been a tough season for Calgary faithful. A long absence and slide could force the team to deal earlier than anticipated and more aggressively.
