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    Conroy Gives Informative Answer on Why Flames Re-Signed Backlund

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    By Rupert McDonald,The Hockey Writers

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    Conroy Gives Informative Answer on Why Flames Re-Signed Backlund

    “He wants to be a Calgary Flame. He is a Calgary Flame. I can’t see him in another jersey,” Conroy said to reporters on Wednesday. “To have him back and leading our young guys, I know we have to have young guys and we have young guys coming, but Backs is exactly what we want in our captain and our leader. I think it sets a great example for where we want to go as an organization.”

    What this also does is show Backlund’s commitment to the city of Calgary. The Flames organization has watched many players depart for what some may deem as more-preferred markets in recent years. Backlund’s extension is proof that players want to be in Calgary, especially in the current Conroy-led era.

    “We’re super excited, me and my whole family. We love Calgary. This is our home,” Backlund said. “We’re really proud that we get to represent the team for three new years. To be a part of the new arena, and be a part of this leadership group that’s hopefully going to push this team in the right direction here. We’re super excited.”

    How Backlund will perform moving forward remains to be seen, as it’s no secret that players around his age generally begin to see their play, and in particular their offensive production, fall off. That said, his leadership and dedication to the game, paired with his $3.25 million cap hit, make it a contract that carries little to no risk for the Flames at this time.

    Tidy Business from the Flames

    The Flames have now been able to re-sign Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost, Adam Klapka, Justin Kirkland, Kevin Bahl, Martin Pospisil, Connor Zary, Dustin Wolf, and, of course, Backlund this offseason. It shows that this current group is committed to Calgary, which is a good sign for the Flames as they look to slowly morph into Stanley Cup contenders.

    The Flames now have just six players on expiring contracts entering this season, two of which include Kirkland and summer free-agent signing Ivan Prosvetov. The others who Conroy will need to make decisions on in the future are Ryan Lomberg, Rasmus Andersson, Jake Bean, and Daniil Miromanov.

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