“It would have been a dream.”

Mikael Backlund was open about his disappointment on Friday morning, just a few short hours after it was announced that he had been passed over for a spot on the Swedish Olympic men’s hockey team.

The Calgary Flames captain received the call confirming that he wasn’t part of Sweden’s plans for the Milano-Cortina tournament shortly before Christmas, so there had been time for the tough news to settle in.

Still, though, the disappointment was palpable.

“I feel like I played really well this fall and playing against the best players in the world every night, I showed that I can do a good job against them,” Backlund said. “Sweden has a lot of good players, it’s hard to make the team and I never expected it.

“It would have been a dream to go to the Olympics and that’s why I was hoping for it, but I never expected it because I know how good a team Sweden has and there are so many good players, but it’s disappointing and frustrating. I felt like I played really well this year.”

To a man, you won’t find anyone around the Saddledome who disagrees with that assessment.

While there were few players on the Flames roster who were thrilled with the way they were playing in October when the team stumbled out of the gates and was sitting in last-place in the NHL, Backlund has played a pivotal role in the team turning its season around.

You often hear about the 36-year-old’s leadership in the locker room and Backlund being one of the NHL’s top defensive centres, but he has been contributing offensively, too.

He has 10 goals and 15 assists through 40 games and led the team in scoring in December, with six goals and five assists.

“For me, I’m disappointed for him,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “I think they made a mistake. I believe in Mikael. He’s a guy we use in all situations against top players and is having one of his best years as a pro.

“He brings so much more to the table that he just does on the ice. I feel for him, it would have been a wonderful opportunity for him.”

To what degree Backlund being left off the Swedish team qualifies as a “snub” can be debated. The country will be one of the favourites going into the Olympic tournament and will field a deep roster that will be disappointed to fall short of the podium.

If you compare Backlund’s season to what either Elias Lindholm or Elias Pettersson have done, though, you can make a strong case for the Flames captain.

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Lindholm has the same number of points (25) as Backlund, while Petterson has two fewer. Look at plus/minus, though, and Backlund’s +16 is far better than Lindholm’s minus-3 or Petterson’s minus-11.

Ultimately, Backlund was passed over. The selection committee did ask him to be part of their injured reserve list and he agreed, but no athlete wants to be sitting around hoping another player gets injured so they can get a shot.

It’s disappointing, plain and simple.

“We’re really good friends, first and foremost,” said Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson, who was named to Sweden’s team on Friday. “As a friend, I’m really sad for him. I know how much it would mean for him to go. You look at the hockey side and this is the best he’s played in a long time, if not the best he’s ever played.

“I would have loved to see him on the team.”