NHL captains are usually expected to keep their cool under pressure and say the right things in front of a microphone. Their ability to handle the media is often one of their most important qualities. Every once in a while, though, those captains may get a little too forward with the media, revealing more than they should.
That’s exactly what happened with Flames Captain Mikael Backlund during the NHL Media Tour. On a recent trip to Europe, Backlund conducted an interview with The Athletic where he spilled details about the departure of a key teammate. When speaking about veteran defender Rasmus Andersson, Backlund shared the following:
“Yeah, he’s getting traded. It’s obvious. But the team wants value. He wants a big contract. So he wants to play well. The team needs him to play well. So, just go out and play. I talked to him, too, and he doesn’t want to be a distraction. So it’s all good. It’s too bad it’s come to this. I don’t think that they’re close to getting an agreement or anything, but you never know. Things could change. We’ll see.”
Mikael Backlund was interviewed by The Athletic at the NHL European media tour. He said some interesting things about Rasmus Andersson and the #Flames. pic.twitter.com/U2d72h7Q6n
— Yegor Sharangovich replaced Breadman (@FierySharky) August 27, 2025
The Flames find themselves in a very tough spot. After just missing the playoffs, they failed to improve this offseason. Instead, rumors swirled all summer of top players like Andersson and Nazem Kadri welcoming a change of scenery. For Calgary, the time for a rebuild might not be now, but if things don’t change, it may be sooner down the road than the team hoped.
It does, however, come as a surprise to see an NHL Captain be the one to break this news, especially when Andersson and the organization have been so quiet on the matter. Only time will tell, but with this information public, a deal may materialize sooner rather than later.