As they move on from one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, the Calgary Flames might have to make a tough decision on one of their most distinguished players.
Mikael Backlund, an alternate captain who has played the third-most games (908) in franchise history behind only Jarome Iginla and Mark Giordano, is a free agent in 2024 and eligible to sign an extension this summer.
The 34-year-old Swede, an integral part of the organization and greater Calgary community after being drafted 24th overall by the team in 2007, was non-committal on whether he wants to remain a Flame as the players cleaned out their lockers and had exit meetings on Friday following their 38-win season that ended two points shy of a playoff berth.
“I want to win the Stanley Cup,” he said.
“I don’t know, the summer what’s gonna happen. Even if they offer us anything, or me, I might wanna see what this group can do [next season] before I make a decision…I’ve been here a long time. I love Calgary. I love the organization, but the year we had, I’m 34 years old.”
Fellow pivot Elias Lindholm, also a native of Sweden and one of the better two-way centres in the league, was also unwilling to publicly commit to discussing a contract extension.
“We’ll see what happens,” the 28-year-old said.
“I’ve got one more year. Gotta look at it that way. I have one more year and that’s all I can say.”
The Flames’ group of free agents for 2024 also includes forward Tyler Toffoli, and defencemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov, all of whom were more open to staying put beyond next season.
Toffoli and Zadorov were particularly strong in their praise of the city and organization.
“I told my family, I told my wife, I want to be a Calgary Flame forever,” Zadorov said.
“I actually enjoyed these two years, living in Canada, living in Calgary,” the Moscow native, who turns 28 on Sunday, told TSN.
Toffoli, coming off a career-high, team-leading 73 points, including a team-high 34 goals, had similar comments.
“I’ve had a great experience in Calgary,” Toffoli said.
“I love Darryl and the city here. My wife loves it here. I wanna get something done,” said the 30-year-old native of Scarborough, Ont.
The organization might want to avoid a repeat of a season ago, when star forward Johnny Gaudreau arrived at training camp without a new contract and speculation began swirling for months about his future. He eventually signed in Columbus, and Calgary was unable to trade him for assets.
While general manager Brad Treliving did impressive work in replacing Gaudreau (including dealing Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, who made it known he would not re-sign when his Flames deal expired) with Panthers Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar and Colorado Avalanche centre Nazem Kadri, the adjustments to the new team, organization, and city were far greater than they or anyone else anticipated.
“Different system than what I’m used to,” Weegar said.
“It was a huge change for me, coming from Florida to here. I don’t think I thought it was going to be a big change when I first got here. I thought it was going to be smooth, but it was a difficult change.”
“I didn’t think it was going to be this hard,” Huberdeau said.
Huberdeau is coming off a 60-point decrease compared to last season – when he tied for second overall in scoring with Gaudreau – the biggest season-to-season dropoff in league history. He attributed it to a lack of confidence, but made it clear that he didn’t forget how to play the sport that he set an NHL record for assists by a left winger (85) in during the 2021-22 season.
“I think I’ve just got to put that year behind me,” the 29-year-old said.
“Just a reset, mentally…I completely lost my swagger this year…you have no confidence.”
Throughout the season, there was also speculation about players’ relationships with head coach Darryl Sutter. Zadorov, Toffoli, and centre Trevor Lewis praised the coach, while Huberdeau and Kadri admitted to some challenges.
“There’s a lot factors throughout the year, like playing right wing for two months,” Huberdeau said rather than his usual left-winger spot.
“Obviously there’s a lot of speculation,” Kadri said.
“If we’re together nine months, you’re seeing each other everyday, sometimes even with your teammates you might butt heads a little bit. At the end of the day, you understand that you’re a team and you play for each other and stand up for each other.”
Calgary’s goaltending was a major disappointment this season as well, with both Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar posting sub-.900 save percentages. On too many nights, they allowed early or weak goals, leading to the team chasing the game.
“You almost try too hard,” the 33-year-old Markstrom said of his struggles.
“You tense up and you want it too much instead of just going out and playing and enjoying.”
Markstrom also said how much different it is adjusting your game when you’re winning, as opposed to losing.
Kadri called the 2022-23 campaign a “bizarre” season that left a bitter taste in his mouth, surely thoughts that other players had.
The Flames lost 30 one-goal games during the season – 17 in overtime or in the shootout – and games where they also outshot opponents. They hit posts, couldn’t close out games, lacked emotion and investment, and seemed out of sync with each other and their coach.
It all added up to one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.
The talent, according to most players, was there. But something does have to change. Veteran Milan Lucic called this season’s group the most talented team he’s ever been on to not make the postseason.
“When you’re trying to find it and you feel like it’s right there, then you might go a different direction because you want to find it quicker and you go further from where you want to be,” Markstrom said.
“I won’t forget this. I remember the feeling very well and it’s not a feeling you want to have.”
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
