The Calgary Flames have locked up one of their most important players for another two seasons.

On Wednesday, as training camp began, the Flames announced that they’ve signed a two year contract extension with captain Mikael Backlund. The deal carries a $3.25 million AAV and runs through the 2026-27 and 2027-28 season.

A product of Vasteras, Sweden, Backlund was a first-round selection by the Flames in the 2007 NHL Draft, selected at 24th overall. He starred in Swedish junior hockey, but ended up moving over to North America midway through the 2008-09 season after it was felt that his development would benefit more from additional reps in Canadian junior hockey (rather than a smaller role in Swedish pro). He made his NHL debut in January 2009 as an injury replacement, then joined the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, helping them win a championship.

From there, Backlund went pro and began becoming, well, Mikael Backlund. He split 2009-10 between the Flames and the Abbotsford Heat before becoming a full-time NHLer in 2010-11. A scorer in junior, Backlund transformed his game during his early seasons with the Flames, becoming known for his two-way play and ability to elevate his linemates at key times. The analytics community developed a phrasing for it: the “Backlund Bump,” as anyone that played with him saw their underlying numbers, and often their offensive stats, jump upward.

Backlund has remained in the Selke Trophy conversation as one of the league’s top two-way players since 2016-17. He was named an alternate captain in 2018-19 and became the club’s captain in 2023-24. He’s second all-time in games played by a Flame (1,066), sixth in goals (215, tied with Lanny McDonald), seventh in assists (348) and seventh in points (563).

The extension ensures that he’ll be on the club’s roster when the team moves to Scotia Place in 2027-28, and that he’ll have a strong chance at passing Jarome Iginla for the franchise’s all-time lead in games played. Backlund turned 36 in March and will be 39 when his extension ends. Based on how strong his conditioning is, we wouldn’t bet against him playing past his newly-signed extension. Either way, we’re pretty sure he plays his entire career with the Flames.

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