Mikael Backlund’s blossom into a top-notch two-way centre hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Not around the Saddledome, where teammates and fans realize that No. 11 has been the Calgary Flames’ most consistent crusader so far this season.
And not in other locker-rooms, either.
“I was talking after the game that we won here against Vancouver with Henrik Sedin, and he said to me ‘How do you like Mikael Backlund?’ ” revealed Flames bench boss Glen Gulutzan after Thursday’s practice. “He said to me, ‘He’s kind of like Danny and I — he’s really growing at 26 or 27.