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St. Louis Blues Should Look At Flames Mikael Backlund, David Schlemko

By Kate Cimini

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The second round of the playoffs has already ended for half its competitors, but the free agents who made it this far in the playoffs have had the opportunity to show the League what they’re capable of. The St. Louis Blues number among those teams who are likely watching the playoffs closely as they look for potential additions to the roster.

We are certain to see dramatic changes in the St. Louis Blues club come this summer, and this series addresses potential gets St. Louis could pull from the teams still in play. And, in some cases, out of play.

Next: Blues Could Build Defense With Hab Acquisition

This series selects one free agent (restricted or unrestricted) from each team that made it to the second round of the playoffs and examines how they would fit on the St. Louis Blues, both play-wise and cap-wise.

We have already gone through Minnesota, Washington, Tampa Bay and Montreal. Next, we examine the Flames for potential additions to the Blues. Even though we didn’t make it to them before the second round of the playoffs — and their first playoffs run in five seasons — ended for them, Calgary still has a number of viable players coming up on free agency that could fit well in St. Louis’ system and bring an extra kick to the offseason.

What’s Available

The Flames have an astounding ten players coming up on some form of free agency, five of them restricted free agents and five unrestricted free agents. The majority of current RFAs are forwards, among them Mikael Backlund.

Backlund may not be the scoringest forward you ever saw, with lower-than-average numbers for a 2C but he is a great defensive forward, suppressing shots like nobody’s business. Take a look at his HERO chart via Own The Puck — he’s no slouch below his own blue line.

Mikael Backlund’s HERO Chart, courtesy of Own The Puck

And his value doesn’t end with suppressed and blocked shots. According to Behind The Net, Backlund begins only 38.5% of his shifts in the offensive zone (for those of you who are mathematically challenged, like me, that means he starts 71.5% of his shifts in the defensive zone) and ends 46.1% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Essentially, Backlund is not only able to keep possession of the puck in the offensive zone, but he also creates offensive chances for his team that were not available on 7.6% of his shifts. That’s surprisingly close to the current Frank J. Selke Trophy holder, Patrice Bergeron, who begins 42.9% of his shifts in the offensive zone and ends 51.1% of them in the offensive zone, creating a differential of 8.2%.

I’m not alone in my good opinion of Backlund, and Calgary won’t let him go without a fight.

Flames Nation’s Pat Steinberg writes,

"For a fifth straight season, Backlund was one of Calgary’s best possession forwards. This year, he ended up as their fifth best forward in terms of raw Corsi, but with a 38.5% offensive zone start, was hammered with defensive responsibility all year long. Prior to this year, he had been Calgary’s best possession forward the last two seasons and in the team’s top five in every season he’s been in the league. Backlund is the type of player you win with. He’s effective in all situations, he’s smart, and he helps get the puck to the right end of the ice and keep it there."

If Backlund as St. Louis’ 3C doesn’t tickle your fancy, the top defender who’s coming up quickly on UFA status is David Schlemko.

Schlemko bounced between three different teams in the 2014-2015 season, starting with the Arizona Coyotes, moving through the south with the Dallas Stars (for a total of five games) and finally landing with the Calgary Flames, possibly in an attempt to get as far away from the U.S. south as possible; there’s no way to tell.

May 5, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman David Schlemko (3) passes the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in game three of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

While he was quite the journeyman this season, and routinely sits on the Flames’ third defensive pairing, a lot of that is due to Calgary’s first and second defensive pairings generating an insane number of shots on net, barring Deryk Engellend (who shoots right, while Schlemko shoots left).

Schlemko is good for the Flames’ possession, bringing a 7.7 Corsi Rel to the table, fourth-highest of the Flames’ defenders, and  second only to Kevin Shattenkirk when comparing with the St. Louis Blues’ defense.

The Cost

Either Schlemko or Backlund would be a good get for the Blues, who will attempt to rebuild their offense and defense this summer. Financially, both cost the Flames under $2 million this season in cap hits, Backlund coming in at $1.5 million and Schlemko at $1.188 million, though played fewer than 20 regular-season games in Calgary and likely cost the team under $350,000. Both could bolster the Blues’ possession without digging too deep in their pockets.

Next: Blues Could Enhance Defense With Lightning FAs

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