candidate for a spot on a scoring line, after scoring 38 points in 54 AHL games as a rookie pro last s

CALGARY - Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley says hes sleeping easier where Mikael Backlund is concerned.When an NHL coach candidly tells reporters Im worried, which is what Hartley said earlier in training camp about Backlund, antennas go up.An abdominal injury has kept Backlund out of all of Calgarys pre-season games so far, including Thursdays game at home against the Winnipeg Jets. Its doubtful the 25-year-old Swede will play in Calgarys final exhibition game Saturday in Winnipeg.Backlund was Calgarys first-line centre for much of last season. A team that must squeeze every last goal out of its roster in 2014-15 will need all hands on deck when the Flames open the season Wednesday at home against the Vancouver Canucks.Backlund stopped skating and dryland training for a few days during camp, but has returned to the ice and the gym. Hartley was feeling more encouraged about Backlund than he was a week ago.When you have a guy in the gym or in the medical room and his injury seems to be stalled and not moving forward, you always get worried, Hartley said Thursday. Backs has the OK from the medical staff. He feels better. This morning he was flying on the ice.Now hes back in the gym, hes on the ice, so now were re-starting him. Im delighted now.Backlund arrived at Flames training camp feeling sore from off-season training in Sweden. The six-foot, 198-pound forward became uneasy about the possibility the injury required surgery.It didnt go away. It got worse, Backlund said. A week ago, we werent sure what was going to happen. I went to see the doctor and got good news and got some good treatment and thats why its been turning around and feeling a lot better.Backlund skated this week with other injured players, but is expected to participate in full practice Friday. Hartley hopes hell be ready for the season-opener.Obviously I will wait for the green light from the doctors, Hartley said. Were going to play Mikael Backlund when we feel hes 100 per cent on the medical side and hockey-wise.The good part is he knows our systems. Its not like were putting him in Game 1 or Game 2 of the season and were worried hes going to turn left when hes supposed to turn right.Calgarys first-round pick (27th overall) in 2007 started slowly last season with two goals and six assists in his first 25 games. Backlund picked up the pace to finish with 18 goals and 21 assists in 79 games.Backlund tied for third in the NHL in short-handed goals with four and averaged 18 and a half minutes ice time per game. Backlund missed the final five games of the season with a thumb injury.I want to be better than last year, obviously, so higher than 39 (points). Ill say that out loud, he said. My goal is to have a good 82, hopefully play 82 games, and be consistent all year and not have a start like I had last year.Its my goal to be a team leader the whole season.Hes in the final year of a two-year contract that pays him $1.5 million annually, according to Capgeek.com. Backlund will become a restricted free agent next summer unless the Flames sign him to an extension.When Calgarys season concluded April 13, Backlund joined Sweden for the IIHF mens world hockey championship in Minsk, Belarus, in May.He was named an assistant captain and contributed five goals and three assists in 10 games. Backlund scored one of those goals in the bronze-medal game, which Sweden won 3-0 over the Czech Republic.Backlund had played for his country at the world championships in 2010 and 2011, but was given far more responsibility on and off the ice in Minsk.Especially to get a letter on my chest for the national team, I really proud of that, Backlund said. It was a huge thing for me.It was the first time I was the top centre for the Swedish national team. I had been in juniors, but not with the national team. It was fun and a big honour and it was great for me developmentally to be a leader on the team. Cameron Maybin Yankees Jersey . And it showed Thursday night. The Canadiens, playing in their second game in as many days, however, got a good performance in the end from their backup goaltender as he filled in for an injured Olympic gold medallist . Brett Gardner Jersey . Buffalos defensive co-ordinator had his second interview with Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner on Tuesday night, a person familiar with the Browns plans told The Associated Press. https://www.cheapyankees.com/1641g-joe-d...ey-yankees.html. The shortstop still grieves, but it will be nights like the one Segura had in a 5-2 victory Monday over the Cincinnati Reds that will provide some distraction. Bill Dickey Yankees Jersey . Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans No. 1 pick in the draft, was on the field Tuesday for the first time with former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. Alex Rodriguez Jersey . The stakes were higher, the competition more fierce and the atmosphere was that of a playoff game - something the young, upstart Raptors have five weeks to better prepare themselves for or the result will be eerily similar. The Ottawa Senators had trouble scoring in 2013, but with D Erik Karlsson and C Jason Spezza healthy, there is a good chance that they will be able to score more often in 2013-2014. Top Picks: While some players coming an injury-marred season might have shaky value, that wont be the case for D Erik Karlsson, who only played 17 games because of an Achilles injury, but hes such a ridiculous offensive performer that he has an argument for being a first-round pick because he has 92 points in 98 games over the past two seasons. His 0.94 is best among defenceman; Pittsburghs Kris Letang (0.93) is the only other defenceman over 0.75 points per game in the last two years. Karlsson also registered 4.65 shots on goal per game last season. Its obviously a small sample, but the only defencemen to ever average more in a season (min. 10 GP) are Bobby Orr and Raymond Bourque. On the heels of losing Daniel Alfredsson as a free agent, the Senators made a deal for RW Bobby Ryan, a net upgrade in talent. Last season, Ryan had 11 goals in 46 games (a career-low 0.24 gpg), yet he ranks 14th with 142 goals since 2008-2009, tied for sixth with 106 goals at even strength. In Anaheim, Ryan didnt always get first unit power play time, something that should change in Ottawa, where his goal-scoring will be welcome, making Ryan a low-end No. 1 and high level No. 2 right winger. Understand, coming into the season, that G Craig Anderson is going to see his numbers regress -- he will not have a .941 save percentage over a full season, for example -- but his .919 save percentage since 2007-2008 ranks seventh and hes the starter for what appears to be a strong team so, even with regression, hes a decent No. 1 fantasy goaltender. Value Plays: Since 2005-2006, C Jason Spezza has scored 545 points in 500 games, his 1.09 points per game ranking fifth (minimum 200 games played) in that span. Trouble is, Spezza has missed at least 20 games in three of the last four seasons, including last year when back woes cost him 43 of 48 games. Obviously, Spezza is quite valuable when hes in the lineup, but it becomes a risk-reward pick for fantasy owners when you go into the season expecting a player to miss a significant amount of time. As much as C Kyle Turris has improved and seen his role increase in Ottawa, scoring 58 points in 97 games, he has yeet to score even 30 points in an NHL season.dddddddddddd As a late-round pick, playing on the potential of a 23-year-old, sure, hes worth a look, but keep expectations in check. LW Clarke MacArthur had back-to-back 20-goal seasons in Toronto before his role was reduced in 2013. If he lands a top-six role with the Senators, another 20-goal season could be within reach. Sleepers/Breakthrough: Its not secret that LW Milan Michalek can score, and a spot on Jason Spezzas wing is a nice place to work but, like Spezza, Michalek comes with an injury risk, having missed at least 15 games in three of the last four seasons. Hes a five-time 20-goal scorer, topping out at 35 in 2011-2012, but any pick of Michalek has to be done with expectations that hell miss some time. It took some time for C/LW Mika Zibanejad to adjust to North America, managing a modest 11 points in 23 AHL games before adding 20 points in 42 NHL games. Hes already established that hes an NHLer, but Zibanejad may not play in enough of an offensive role to generate fantasy interest so soon. Now that Sergei Gonchar is toiling in Dallas, D Patrick Wiercioch is looking at a favourable opportunity to handle more minutes in his second NHL season. G Robin Lehner has given every indication that hes going to be a very good starting goaltender in the league, posting a .936 save percentage in 17 NHL games over the last two seasons. He doesnt have great value as long as he sits behind Anderson on the depth chart but, as backups go, Lehner is one of the best so long as he continues his career on this path. Rookies: The Senators might have a few rookies challenging for spots in the lineup, but they dont initially appear to be relevant for fantasy purposes. C Jean-Gabriel Pageau had 10 points in 19 (regular season plus playoff) games for Ottawa last season, but after 29 points in 69 AHL games, he cant be expected to take a scoring role. RW Mark Stone is another candidate for a spot on a scoring line, after scoring 38 points in 54 AHL games as a rookie pro last season. If Stone lands a regular spot, then he might have value but, right now, its too soon to make that projection. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '