Flames’ Mikael Backlund day-to-day with upper-body injury

Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he sustained in the club’s 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, according to head coach Ryan Huska.

Backlund, 37, left the ice gingerly and did not return after absorbing a hit along the boards from Hurricanes winger William Carrier late in the third period of Sunday’s game at the Saddledome.

Flames beat reporter Pat Steinberg shared Huska’s update on Backlund’s status after Tuesday’s practice, noting that it remains to be seen whether the fourth-year Flames captain will be in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

With Backlund’s availability for Thursday’s game uncertain, the Flames recalled center Ben Jones from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Tuesday. Jones, 27, currently leads the Wranglers with seven goals and nine points through seven games to start the 2026-27 season; he skated in Backlund’s typical spot with Matt Coronato and Joel Farabee in Tuesday’s practice at the Saddledome.

Backlund logged a season-low 13:32 of ice time on Sunday as the Flames upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes by a 3-2 score on home ice. Through eight games this year, Backlund has recorded a goal and an assist while averaging 17:44 per night.

Selected in the first round (No. 24 overall) by the Flames in the 2007 NHL Draft, Backlund has spent his entire NHL career to date in Calgary. The Vasteras, Sweden has long been considered one of the league’s top two-way centers and has collected 245 goals and 630 points in 1,198 career games across the regular season and playoffs.

Matvei Gridin, Morgan Frost, and Yegor Sharangovich each scored for the Flames in their 3-2 win over the Hurricanes. After a three-day layoff, the Flames will return to action on Thursday to play host to the Wild at 7:00 p.m. Mountain.