Could William Karlsson’s injury send Flames captain Mikael Backlund to the 4 Nations Face-Off?

Karlsson was placed on the injury reserve list by the Golden Knights. He has 18 points in 38 games this season. He missed eight games to begin this season due to a hamstring injury.

The intriguing part of Karlsson’s injury for Calgary Flames fans comes because Karlsson was named to Sweden’s roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The NHL’s break for that tournament begins on Feb. 10, and that’s also when the national teams will report to Boston and Montreal for their designated practice days. That’s just over two weeks away, so Sweden will likely need to make a determination on Karlsson’s availability for the event fairly quickly in order to secure a potential replacement.

In terms of potential replacements, would Flames captain Mikael Backlund fit the bill? The 35-year-old Backlund was not named to Sweden’s national team – some called his exclusion a “snub,” but Sweden has a lot of good players to choose from – but he’s been a fixture of Sweden’s teams for decades. He most recently captained Sweden to a World Championship victory in 2019.

Backlund wouldn’t be the only potential replacement for Karlsson, as players like the San Jose Sharks’ Fabian Zetterlund and William Eklund were also not initially named to the 4 Nations Face-Off roster. However, Backlund’s strong reputation as a tough-minutes centre and his experience at big-time events like the World Cup and World Championship could make him an ideal depth player, and his leadership and intangibles could be useful for Sweden’s coaching staff in a short, high-stakes tournament where having a calming presence could help keep things on the rails in tense situations.

We’ll see what unfolds in the coming days and weeks as Karlsson’s status for the tournament becomes more clear.

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