Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Mikael Backlund Signs Extension… But Why Now?? | BB Clips

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Barn Burner Clips Youtube Link 🎥 https://youtu.be/ea99vaftiFo?feature=sharedBoomer, Pinder & Rhett react to the news of Mikael Backlund signing a contract extension with the Calgary Flames. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, and the guys break down what it means for Backlund, the team’s leadership, and the Flames’ future direction.#calgaryflames #calgary #nhl #nhlteam #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER BLONDE https://originbrewing.myshopify.comFLAMESNATION MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some kind of unexpected flames news came down yesterday as camp opens and there's three different squads and there's some rookies mixed in. And then there's one team that's a lot of rookies and guys that you assume are probably Wranglers kind of deal or some guys that look about that's that sort of thing. But then there's two clubs like there's some real NHLers in there. And there's some guy that's okay. So camp's opening. All right. Here we go. Get on the ice boys.

You got your test done. And then an announcement comes down. A little presser as Michael Backlop. The captain of the Calgary Flames signs. a two-year extension worth three and two, three and a quarter five. Now, should we be surprised because he was UFA this summer. That's what, when someone's a year away from the UFA,

we always talk about what's the contract, what are they doing? Entering the final year. Yeah, 36 years of age. Birthdays in March, so it'll be 37 in the spring. He'll be just 39 when this contract ends. That's a long-ass career. Just 39.

Well, not just, but like a year. He might have the most games. He's set to pass, Iggy, if he can stay healthy. He was saying that, uh, he's sisters. So he's like, you know, they start going from 82 to 84 games. You got a little extra runway there, as you might be able to chase that record down to become the, I guess, like longest serving in terms of games and that, uh, Calgary flame of all time. He has been a guy that the first half of his crew had major durability issues.

Remember it was like abdominal thing and this and that. You're like, boom snapped about the pink. Yeah, he broke his finger. Yeah. Get about it. The last half of the career has been the opposite story. I think if you had to guess how it was going to go, it's like, well, he's going to be injury riddled because that's been the first half of scrim. Maybe that's a good sign for the Zaris and Hansiks of the world have had lots injuries earlier,

but he's found a way to play a lot more hockey the last, what, five to seven years, I want to say. Yeah. It's not a flashy signing. He's the captain of a team that the room got way better since he took over. Remember the year before there was no captains. That was the Sutter. Everything that could go wrong would go wrong year. But again, like,

so you're kind of tying his captaincy to the team's turnaround? Well, I think he's part of a leadership group that's working. I don't know how to assign credit, but it would be weird to say he's an awful captain if the room and the vibes have been almost instantly better the moment that he in a new leadership group performed. He's part of it. Now, maybe that's the strength of great alternates.

What's that right? He's never been in the room. Like I'm saying, I can't assign how much credit he gets. gets, but whether it's Huska or the leadership group or Conroy, it's a place people want to go. And that last year under Darrell and Brad, it was the exact opposite of that. So I'm going to give him a non-zero percentage. Something more than zero is his responsibility for that.

I'm not saying it's 90 or 50, but he's been part of a solution to that problem. It'd be tough to dispute that, I would think. With you. I guess, I mean, with Connie, I mean, he's literally said. I don't know why he's in the room more than we know. dispute it with you. What do you have blabbermouthed in the boat? Congratulations. Bax. You've been great. That's wonderful. Happy for you. And now we can trade you and get something in return if we need to. Trade clause. Yeah, there's a no move thing there. That was, that seemed to be the common thread was, I want to be a career flame. I don't want to be traded at a deadline to another team and make the playoffs there and then go into unrestricted free agency. He wants to be a career flame.

He loves it here, and he is placed a value on being a one jersey player. He originally had a no move turned to a 15 team on Jan 1. This gets back to Rett's half big trade sign Rasmus and trade them idea. When you sign an extension, they always tack on a no move. That's the practice of NHL agents, otherwise they get fired. So he now has the no full move for this year, even though that contract. Terrible, Conroy. What are you doing?

Yeah, I know. You can't trade your captain midseason. I think we pride ourselves on being honest and sharing our views. Do we want to do that here or do we just want to kind of report the news? Well, anyone that's followed the show up for 15 to 12, whatever it is, years we've worked together. Like, I've been more of a fan of what Backin provides than you guys. And I don't think he's a star in this league. And you're certainly not paying him to be a star.

He's making 3.7 next year and then 2.8 the year after, if he's your third or fourth line center, I don't really see the downside here. He's not a star. He's not your best player, but he's been part of a successful leadership group. He wants to be here. And like you don't have centers. Like who's he blocking?

Justin Kirkland. Arguing with Pinder as much as anything. Well, he's laying out his. Yeah, like in like this. I just don't. And I don't think he's wrong. I don't think this is a bad deal or you could be frustrated or it's an overpay. Like you need him because you don't have centers.

But that's part of the sense. If you had centers, you'd probably want to move along. But you don't. don't. Like, I don't know what Morgan Frost is yet. He's only got two years. If this team isn't good, you probably want to look around at Nazam before he gets even older because he's been great, but that's not going to last forever. And Zerry down the middle, he's getting mopped on the dot. We don't know that it works there. Reschney's probably two to three years away. Potters two to four years away if he even sticks at the wing. Hansick might not be a set. They don't have centers. So when you

don't, I just see this as a really low risk move. Yeah. There is that part because of the cap going up and the money and all this. Sure. I guess I was just curious as to why now. He is 36. Let's get into the season and let's see how things go. You know we love you. You're our captain for Pete's sake.

But what if he is a step slower in November, December. Well, his contract is up at the end of the year. Right. You do lose that option for sure. What if you are well out of the playoffs? Yeah, wanted to trade him. And back that is happening. But if he was playing well,

I think that's his call. But from the team's perspective, because they are, right, it's a 15 team, no trade. There's a chance that there is a trade. I don't, you're not getting a first or whatever.

But that's, again, that's an option that's gone. Um, you have Cadry who is 35 with four more years. Now you've got, back on 36 with three more years. Frost is two and no one else.

Frost is 26. I just, you've got two. But he's you at the end. You've got two guys in their late, mid to soon to be late 30s signed to the end of their 30s. I, you could afford it. He's a good guy.

He's your captain. I just, I don't know why. You know what? It's nice. It is. It's nice. Didn't feel like,

is it improving the team? And I'm indifferent because it's not that much money. We're rebuilding it's, yeah, we don't have centers. Well, but that's what you're now in the process of doing. Yeah, we need to get better at the center position. Michael Backin's not going to get better at center than he's been. No, he's probably a three on a contender and he'll be a four seat at the end of this deal. Unless he ages like brilliantly, which is kind of done to this point.

but you do worry about guys every year after 30, never mind a year after 35. Yeah, and I would say that's best case is that he's your three, four center. It would be an awkward spot where your captain is signed at the age of 39 and at 37 and a half, it's like, we can't put him in the lineup. Yeah, that'd be next fall. So they're clearly confident that that's not going to happen or they wouldn't sign this. And why did they do it now?

I think back in one of the head is to add insight as to what you feel. yes they're clearly confident they just signed it. And you're, you're, because I'm curious, it's, this feels like one of those signings where if it was a different player or a different spot, you would be critical of it. And this, I'm not coming at you. It's a team that's looking to get younger. If it's Nick Felino's like, why are you signing this guy to another two years?

He's got a year left. So I was just going to say. No, this isn't a move of contender mix at all. It just isn't. And I think that's why I have no problem with it. Like if, when the oil, bring in a Skinner and Arvorsen and you're crushing them. Like, this isn't that different.

It's guys that you know are well into the back nine, but they're not going to fumble a championship over this 3.25 million. And if there were kids of knocking on the door at center, I really don't think they do this or they're not as keen and they take their time. There just isn't. Like, can you name one player beyond Cole Rushney that you know is a center that's in their system? I don't think you can. Well, you can.

But you can trade for them? You could try. They've been trying for three years and all they got was a frost. And I don't know that Frost is any better than Backlin even though he's a decade younger. Like Backland still is way heavier lifting in terms of playing other top lines. It's not like Frost is scoring 2530. He helped his own entries on the power play. Probably get a little bounce back into shooting percentage.

Would you not rather put some like stock into a 26 year old? It's an odd take. Oh, no, no, no. I like them getting Frost, but Frost didn't supplant Backluck. Like they're kind of did similar jobs. Well, he was here for half a year. Right. And so you're hoping he'll pass. But if you had three or four for us, you don't make this sign.

You got one. This signing to me is almost nothing about need. It's about friendship. So you're saying they need a sense. They don't need to win right now. They're not a contender. Yeah, he's a center. But what are they going to hold his feet to the fire?

Backland at the end of this year is going to come in and go, I need 10 million or and you're going to go. No, they like, I think they put a lot of stock in the leadership. and the role model of the He's moving up to corporate ladder. I think it's You've been a good soldier, you've been here,

you want to be here, we like you, you like us. I feel like it's very little about hockey. It's very little. It's not near as much about Michael Backland makes us better

at the center spot. I mean, he does. Does he? But it's, well, if it's him or Kirkland, you tell me,

I know, but if it's him or Kirkland, are they leading you to playoffs? No. And so we're in agreement on that. This team, we don't think is a contender. And sometimes they act like they are. And other times like this,

this doesn't feel like the type of move that the abs or the Panthers would make. Oh, okay. I see what you said. So they're kind of giving us mixed messages, right? Yes. But I think when they're being really honest and looking in the mirror, they understand that when this team is a sustainable contender, which is what they're trying to build,

but all teams are trying to build. Backland's not a core player. It's going to be the Wolf, Roshney, you know, hopefully one of these wingers and Gridden Basha. To be the captain, though, when you're not a core player. I think that's fair. We're just hashing us out.

I'm not, at that money and what he's done for the organization? Sure. I agree with that. It is hard to have a voice if your role gets continually minimalized. And so if you get the backland you had last year, that's not an issue.

He played the toughest minutes of any center on the team, some of the toughest center minutes in the league. 93rd percentile difficulty of opponent. Don't care. I know that doesn't mean anything. you, but, and it doesn't have to. But what it means is that when you have to play

McDavid in division, when you have to play McKinnon in the Central, those are very tough. He's still carrying that weight. And until they've got someone that can do that, he's still their best option to defend a top line. They best playoffs.

Yeah, by a tiebreak. Yeah. Don't care. No, like, hey, I'm not telling you that contenders. Did I win the Stanley Cup? No. Oh. So it's not a, it's one or the other. You either made it or you didn't. Right. And so I think what the team is trying to balance is the full tear down, we can't be

Buffalo. But also, you know, it helps if we're in the mix because bottom line's good when we fill the building. And we'll try to accumulate as many young pieces as we can. But he's not a young piece. Right. And so how long with four years left on Nazim Caudry's deal, do you expect? them to be here. I would get rid of both of them right now. That's my whole

point. Yeah. And I'm turning the corner. They're not. And I think what they're saying is you can't strip it that bear. Like when we saw Taylor Hall and McDavid, there just wasn't elder statesmen to show the kids. And I don't think you think necessarily. They don't even have

kids to show. Well, they will soon. They've got five really good prospects in the Wranglers this year. So I think it's going to be happening. I just told us that there's no center. There's no centers. Yes. Reschney's their best center prospect, and he's playing at North Dakota this year.

Like Hansik, maybe he's a center. You could try Zariot. It didn't look good last year. If you get crushed on the dot, you're chasing the whole shift. He was the worst face off guy by a mile. It buys them time to find young centers. But yeah, and at the same time,

and I didn't want to break, because I knew it was going to feel like it's 2-1-1 and we've got you in corner. I don't think this is awesome. It's not 2-1-1 because I'm indifferent to the contract, quite honest. You had time. but you didn't use it.

Well, I think that's, you could have got into the year and seeing how the year goes and see what the young kids are at all the levels. He's not going anywhere and he's not begging for or he's not holding a, he can't command more money. He wants to stay like you already know all this.

If he demands a trade, it's okay, where do you want to go? It's not really where you're over the barrel in any way. No, I agree on the time. It was a nice thing to do. Yeah.

For Michael Backwood. Yep. And he's still a good hockey player. Yeah, he's a nice person. He's not a star and he's not this, he's not your prototypical captain, but there is no one on the roster

that can do the hard checking minutes at center ice. So it buys you two and a half seasons to see if you can groom someone else into that. And maybe that's Morgan Frost. But he's a you in two years and maybe it's not for him here. He just keeps being a guy that you wish scored more and is a 3C. I don't know. Are we completely out to lunch that we think they can't.

Like the vibe that just picking up our vibe on this conversation is that there's zero chance they're making the playoffs, in our opinion. Yeah, I think it's probably pretty soon. Yeah, but I'd. I don't have them as a playoff team. No, I don't either. I think they can absolutely finish ninth to 11th in the West. They've been really good at that over the last 30 years.

But that's the issue. I have is that this speaks to doing that again. Yeah, I think more not trading Rasmus and Cadry speaks to that because they haven't done any of them. This is putting another, it's right. Just kind of keeping it going. Let's keep this train moving down the track, even though this train has not produced any results for it.

I agree. I think in that room, they're saying one point was the difference between us in the playoffs and we're going to find a way to be one point better. And I don't agree that they're in 96 or 7. point team this year. But if you really want to get worse, Trady Michael Backlton will help that moving Nazim and Rasmus is a real change and a shift

of the guard. But even I would be even more accepting of the accepting what the hell do I have to say. You're, it's a matter of what you. I would, it would make more sense to me signing back than if Godry and them had lost because you're going,

oh, well, we've lost some of our leadership group and our actual presence. Now we're short of that. Yeah, you've got a veteran center who's in his 30s. Yeah. You've got him till he's 39. Maybe that is them telling us about a hedge of sorts that if things don't go well, and Asms on the block, this maybe, but you're right.

It is cart before the horse of it. But that's, yeah. You could always just sign backland at that point. Yeah, the timing of the deal isn't for a guy that wants to be here and that wants to be a one jersey guy, you could do this whenever. And I don't think if Backland was a you in December, it would be like, oh, this is a distraction for the team. I don't think Backlin is. Yeah, it's not like the Rasmus situation.

We talk about it all the time. Oh, a distraction. This is not a guy who was going to be a distraction in any way. It wants to be here. And you could have gone one year at a time, I'm sure. But I just get the sense. Sure, they could play over their skis again and win games. They have no business winning because their goalies better than the other guy.

And be greater than the sum of the individual parts again, not easy to do. probably still will make it anyway. But if this team gets off to a not 5-0 start, like flip it around, 0-15, I think Nazam's on the block. That's my gut. And I like Nazim,

and he's been a great flame, but I think if the standings tell you something in November, you can't keep playing this for a one point out thing. Now, maybe they'll be in it. But if they're out, now it's, let's get what's the ask on Rasmus? Someone's got to meet our ask.

And who needs a two-seat? Everyone gets harder. What do we get for cut? Yeah. Kind of a separate thought. It gives you a clear direction, though. Last year they didn't have that. Separate thought on, on cadre.

He has really gone from untradable. Now, a few more years have gone off that deal and the cap has gone up. He's like, well, you can fit that money. And it's four years a lot, but it's, if you're a three. Three in a bit, he right away. He makes a lot of teams better at two C. Doesn't they? Like contending teams that are like, burn the bridges.

We got to win now. he's a great ad. There's not many contenders that wouldn't be better with Nazim Kodry. You have to be three centers deep than most teams aren't. So is that going to be our thing?

What you could get for Godry and Anderson. If they're bad, that is the thing. Yeah. It should be no matter of why. It should be, but it is.

Shouldn't be? Yeah, right? God. Yeah. That's what it is. Somewhere in the middle is the truth and you're not

behind in the room, like you say, we're not there. Backland is probably a very good presence for the, he probably sets, It's a great example.

We know that. And they're probably loathe to think, we don't want to finally get some higher end talent in here and just have them fending for ourselves. We're coaches. They don't need to hear plenty from us. We need some guys in who are in the lineup that go out and eat right, play right, do things the right way that they can take their lead from.

So he does get to a point where, sorry. And then the flip side to me is, I'm ready to turn the roster over. Yeah. This is San Jose. It's, it, let, let the kids try, fail. Sure. Frost may never.

Go ahead. Just get, get younger. Let's, let's get younger. So this is just another. Yeah. To that end. And I think if Hansik was a center in the A and like a good one that's knocking on the door, we don't see this.

And I think if the Bashar Gridden Sunnihives were centers, not wingers, or Zeri really excelled at center. Use the organization for not filling those needs. To say, well, we're just going to keep feeling. It sounds chinty because it's a hate, it sounds like we're taking cheap shots at Backland. I'm not. He is what he is, and he's good, and he's good in the community.

But if Backlands is the cog in the wheel as your sentiment, and you have not, and you're saying all these other names, Wingers. Where are they? They're still not close in terms of a young, core that you build around. Their best players are still old. That's just it. Like I think in this conversation, what I'm learning is that this team is exposed. Stuck in the middle, right? They do not have like,

the argument and the interactive portion of the show will be, you're an idiot. We've got Backland and Cadry and Frost down the middle. And I'm going to say, no, you're an idiot. Those aren't. Those are supplementary pieces. Yeah, they're center depth. They'd be bottom five in the league, if not worst. Like, Nazim, best lot of this two, he's up one run. Backland, last year I would have said on a contender, he's a three, he's up one line above where he should be. Frost, I'm not quite sure on.

We got to give him a little more time shooting percentages out of whack. Saw some stuff you liked. Also, didn't notice him as much as you'd hope probably when that deal was made. And then it's like, yeah, who's your fourth line center anyway? Like, hospital center didn't really stick. Zeri didn't really stick. Kirkland feels like a quad A guy. I worry less about the fourth.

center. No, it's just, play your eight minutes and run around. And Kirkland's fine to do that. Don't get scored on a ton. Yeah, could. That'd be great. But yeah, it's the center. It's clearly more complicated than just saying go get young centers because that's basically what Connie said is opening press conference and he found one guy. Yeah. So.