Flames captain Mikael Backlund suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s shootout loss to the Canucks, the team confirmed. He’s listed as week-to-week.
Backlund left the game midway through the first period and didn’t return after laying a hit on Vancouver defenseman Victor Mancini. The centerman skated off under his own power but appeared to slightly twist his left shoulder/upper arm area while making the check.
With just over a month remaining in the regular season, it’s likely not a campaign-ender for Backlund — at least, the Flames hope so. They also lost forward Connor Zary to a two-game suspension after the loss. Hence, they’re now down a pair of top-nine fixtures for their next two games, both against playoff-bound teams in the Avalanche and Maple Leafs, as they look to outlast the Canucks, Blues, and Utah for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Backlund, who turns 36 next week, hasn’t missed a game since the 2020-21 campaign. His offensive totals have declined over the past few years, producing just 11-13–24 through 64 games this year, but he remains a top-tier defensive forward. He’s averaged nearly 19 minutes per game for the Flames this year while controlling 51.8% of shot attempts despite seeing only 37.7% of his even-strength zone starts in the offensive end.
Now in his 17th year with the Flames, Backlund is in the first season of the two-year, $9M extension he signed in training camp in 2023. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2026.
With Backlund confirmed out, Calgary’s recall of winger Dryden Hunt today qualifies as an emergency. They still have three of their four post-deadline recalls 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 games. The 6-foot depth forward will presumably draw into a bottom-six role for his first NHL game since Feb. 8, marking his only NHL appearance so far.
