Calgary Flames sign Mikael Backlund to two-year contract, name him captain
The Calgary Flames have signed center Mikael Backlund to a two-year contract worth $9 million. The deal carries an AAV of $4.5 million. He was named the 21th captain in Flames history, first reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
Sounds like #Flames are closing in on a two-year contract extension with Mikael Backlund in the $4.5 million neighborhood. Details being finalized now.
With that, lots of rumblings Backlund will also be next captain in Calgary.
Backlund is by far the longest-tenured active Flame. He has played his entire career in Calgary, currently sitting at 908 games played in the NHL. The second-longest tenured Flame is Rasmus Andersson who has played his entire 377-game career with the franchise.
The 2022-23 season was a career-year for the defensive-minded center. In 82 games, he scored 19 goals and 56 points, the latter a career-high. He also posted a team-leading +24 rating, the second highest of his career.
The 34-year-old Swede was originally selected in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Flames. Drafted out of Sweden, Backlund played a couple more seasons in his native country, before transitioning to the North American game when he played a half season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL in 2008-09. He impressed enough there to earn a full-time job in the American Hockey League the following season, scoring 32 points in 54 games with the Abbotsford Heat in 2009-10.
Once Backlund made his NHL debut in 2009-10, it took some time before he was able to solidify his reputation as a strong defensive-center with offensive capabilities. His breakout season was in 2013-14, when he scored 18 goals and 39 points, finishing fourth on a weak Flames team in points. Since then, Backlund has been a consistent middle-six scorer and one of the best shutdown centers in the NHL.
He has one year remaining on the six-year, $32.1 million contract he signed with the Flames in February 2018. He will earn $5.35 million from that contract this season. The Flames are in a transitional period and there were questions raised about whether they’ll re-sign Backlund. They answered that with a two-year contract extension that is set to take effect in the 2024-25 season. Backlund will now be able to play his best hockey without any distractions regarding his contract status.