Calgary Flames MVP: Mikael Backlund
In a year where the Calgary Flames were hoping their youth would step up and cement themselves as key pieces of the future, and they did just that, with Matvei Gridin, Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost, Zayne Parekh and Yan Kuznetsov among others set up as crucial parts of the Flames lineup for opening night in 2026/27. However, this past season, despite positive performances, it was the veterans that were once again the most important part of the team, and after playing in 82 games, Mikael Backlund beats out some lackluster performances to be named team MVP.
In those 82 games, Backlund was a rock over all 200ft of ice once again, finishing second on the team in points with 17 goals and 43 points on the year, and despite the overall team struggles, Backlund's leadership kept them competitive throughout the year. Next season, the hope is that one of the team's players under 24-years of age can step up and show signs of stardom, and while Coronato, Frost, Gridin, Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley were all great in 2025/26, they just didn't have the consistency of the captain.
At 37-years of age, it's unclear how long No. 11 can continue to be this productive for, but with the future crop of stars arriving in Calgary, it's fortunate for them to have a leader such as Backlund to show them the way.
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