Calgary Flames young forward Mikael Backlund suffered an injury in which he will have minor surgery for. Backlund suffered a broken left pinkie in Sunday’s team practice. "It's unfortunate that it happened," head coach Brent Sutter said after Tuesday's practice. "It happened in practice and there's nothing you can do about it."
The 22 year old is expected to have a breakout year for his club, something the Flames are banking on heading into 2011-2012. The 27th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft has looked to be in better shape and form in the preseason as he has collected one goal and three assists in five preseason games.
In 2010-2011, Backlund appeared in 73 games tallying 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points and a +4 rating. The Swede has played 97 total NHL games, collecting 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points and a +9 rating. He heads into his true third NHL year, hoping to show he has learned and made gains to be a legitimate top-six forward for the Flames for quite some time.
Backlund is expected to miss six weeks from the injury, a time in which Calgary will be desperate for offensive depth. The Flames will have to be on their game to get the season started off right after a disappointing run over the past couple of years.
- Kendall Grubbs
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