NHL Rumors: Flames Center To Be Traded

The Calgary Flames have two core players with expiring contracts in Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. Andrew Mangiapane is also in need of a new deal, so the Flames will need to free up cap space to bring back all three players. Because of this, they might be forced to move Mikael Backlund this summer, according to Hailey Salvian.

Backlund carries a $5.35 million cap hit and has two years remaining on his contract. The two-way center just put together a decent campaign, as he had 12 goals to go along with 27 helpers. Teams looking to strengthen their penalty kill could call about the 33-year-old, but his cap hit is still quite high. With that, he also has a 10-team trade list, so he has a pretty big say in where he would end up in a potential swap.

Nevertheless, keep an eye on a potential Backlund move this summer. The Flames need money to bring those three key players back, so let's see if that makes the veteran expendable.

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