Flames Sign Mikael Backlund

By Dustin Nelson June 21st, 2015

The Calgary Flames have agreed to terms with 26-year-old RFA forward Mikael Backlund.

So happy, proud and excited about my new deal with Calgary! I love playing in front of #theCofRed and representing the flaming C?

— Mikael Backlund (@mbacklund11) June 20, 2015

The three-year deal carries an AAV of $3.575 million, according to Sportsnet’s Elliot Friedman.

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Backlund finished the season with 10 goals and 17 assists through 52 games. While neither figure represents a career-high, he posted the best P/60 and A/60 since his 22-game rookie campaign, signaling solid offensive development.

The Swedish forward finished the season with a score-adjusted 2.7% CF%Rel. That’s an important figure on a possession-starved team looking to shore up their all around game and not be the 2015-16 season’s Colorado Avalanche. Backlund has posted a positive relative Corsi For% in every season since coming to the NHL.

The deal is good on both sides, locking up Backlund through his prime years, giving the team a solid forward who has made an impact at both ends of the rink. Backlund gets a nice pay increase from the $1.5 million AAV contract he just completed.

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