Flames Veteran Stripped Of Captaincy: Trade Imminent

The Flames hired both a new General Manager and Head Coach. The new era seems to be off to a rocky start as a locker room favorite looks to have been stripped of his captaincy.

Training camp for the Calgary Flames kicked off today and already has people talking. The day started off with team headshots and one player was missing a crucial part of his expected jersey.

Mikael Backlund had his headshot done for the upcoming season and to the surprise of many, there was no letter on the front of his jersey.

Backlund on multiple occasions has said he wants to be the captain of the Calgary Flames. However, his contract is up at the end of this season, and at the age of 34 Backlund likely does not have much NHL hockey left in front of him. With that said the Flames might be hesitant to give him the captaincy.

The Flames are hoping to improve and be back in the playoff picture for the 2024 playoffs. If this does not happen though could Mikael Backlund be traded? As mentioned he is 34 years old and in the last year of his contract. If Backlund doesn't get named captain of the Flames a change of scenery might be welcomed on his end as well.

He likely wouldn't fetch much in return but if the Flames are not in contention it could be a nice gesture to let Backlund chase a championship. For now Backlund remains a Flame and focused on bringing the franchise he has spent his entire career with as much success as possible.