"Mikael has an opportunity to step-up and attempt to secure a top two-line center position with our club," said Flames GM Jay Feaster. "He is a very talented player who skates well, has excellent vision and possesses a strong skill set.
"As we have discussed with him, Mikael needs to work on his consistency and his focus in order to break through in a top six role and start to define his role on our team. We are excited about the level of competition that should exist in camp this fall and we expect Mikael to be in the thick of those battles."
Backlund, a native of Vasteras, Sweden, has played in 138 career games, all with Calgary, and has accumulated 15 goals and 31 assists for 46 points.
The Flames drafted Backlund 24th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
