Mikael Backlund

[Flameshomer]

Nice kid, shows flashes of the offensive creativity he was drafted for, and his defensive game is improving. Think he will ever turn into a top 6 forward? If so, will his oppertunity come somewhere other than Calgary?

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[vippe]

Always thought of him as a two-way second line center.. ~50-60pts Possibly a bit higher ceiling but not much

 

[madmike77]

He's had a decent year considering he's been getting mostly 4th line minutes. He hasn't racked up a ton of points but he has been very responsible defensively.

He'll get his shot as a 2nd line centre in Calgary - maybe next year, maybe the year after.

The Flames don't currently have a ton of decent centres on the farm - although I could still see Wahl as an option depending on how he comes back from the injuries. Reinhart has also had an excellent year in the WHL, but he's still a couple of years away.

Bottom line is the Flames don't have much other than Backlund in the short term, so I think he'll get his shot.

 

[jeremywilhelm]

He'll probably be the #3 guy next year and the number two guy in 2 years. Young still, but he has alot of potential.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

I use this comparison A LOT but Stephen Weiss is a guy I'd look to compare him to. Well, it's probably because he is THE prototypical 2nd line center.

 

[Caged Great]

Backlund will be a pretty good two way center. Not someone that you count on to rack up the goals, but just a solid all-round player.