Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom makes a save off Montreal Canadiens' Lars Eller on Sunday, March 20, 2016 in Montreal.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
There has always been something of an identity issue when it comes to Niklas Backstrom, the former Minnesota Wild goaltender, now in the short-term employ of the Calgary Flames. In the years when Backstrom was a top goaltender in the NHL, in the running for the Vezina or the William Jennings trophies, he was constantly confused with the gifted Washington Capitals' playmaker, Nicklas Backstrom – same surname, just a slightly different spelling of their given names.
But Niklas Backstrom, the goalie, hasn't registered much on the hockey consciousness since leading the NHL in wins three years ago. Last season, after the Wild acquired Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes in a trade that saved their season, the struggling Backstrom dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart, collected his $4-million in annual salary, but didn't play a game after Jan. 13.
He spent all of this season in limbo, too. Dubnyk started, Darcy Kuemper occasionally spelled him and the Wild spent all season trying to ditch his contract. It finally happened at the trade deadline, when Calgary took Backstrom to complete a deal that sent David Jones to Minnesota.
Backstrom had a no-trade clause in his contract. The only reason he agreed to join the Flames was in exchange for their promise he would actually play a game or two – and dust the rust off.
Backstrom, at 38, is interested in salvaging his career and wanted to prove to teams in the NHL and Europe that he could still play.
So Backstrom got his first start in more than a year this past Sunday, won it, and is going back between the pipes Thursday when the Flames play the Wild in Minnesota, the fourth goaltender they've used this season.
As the Flames inch toward mathematical elimination and the post-mortems for their lost season begin to drift in, their primary focus will be in net. Jonas Hiller has been mediocre; he will not be back. Karri Ramo blew out his knee about a month ago, is on an expiring contract and may not be ready to play by October. The third man, Joni Ortio, finally got a handful of starts after Ramo's injury and might get an organizational second look as a backup next year.
Calgary will be in the market for a new No. 1 next season. A year ago, there were a handful of goalies available – Cam Talbot landed in Edmonton, Martin Jones in San Jose (via Boston) and Robin Lehner in Buffalo. This year's shopping list could include any of James Reimer (now in San Jose), Jimmy Howard (overpriced in Detroit), Ondrej Pavelec (made expendable in Winnipeg by Connor Hellebuyck's rapid development) and the prize, if he comes available, Frederik Andersen in Anaheim.
The Ducks have a rare luxury – two excellent goaltenders, Andersen and John Gibson, both young, both promising. Andersen, though, is a year away from being an unrestricted free agent and he could potentially receive an offer sheet this summer as a restricted free agent.
Moreover, there could be an expansion draft coming up in a year's time that would further scramble the goaltending plans of numerous NHL teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. What does Tampa do with Ben Bishop if Andrei Vasilevskiy looks ready? What does Pittsburgh do with Marc-André Fleury if Matt Murray looks ready? What does Columbus do with Sergei Bobrovsky if Joonas Korpisalo looks ready?
A decision on expansion isn't expected until the NHL awards ceremony in Las Vegas at the earliest and that's only days before the annual entry draft in Buffalo. If expansion is a go, that decision will force a lot of NHL teams to start reformulating their goaltending plans, long and short term.
It means Calgary and others will be lined up at Anaheim general manager Bob Murray's door in June, making inquiries. The Flames' priority is landing a legitimate starter, someone who can give them 55 consistent games a season and stabilize their young, but improving nucleus of position players.
Depending upon who they get to fill that hole, they will also need to sort out their backup. With the standings so close, and parity rampant, backup goalies can't just fill space on the roster anymore. They have to win games when called upon to start.
To make his brief cameo with Calgary worth the disruption it's caused in his life, Backstrom needs to prove he's still capable of playing, at his age and with his injury history. This is an audition for him. He hopes that someone, somewhere, is watching.
The Flames, meanwhile, need to land a bigger fish in their next goalie trade. To get their operation back on track, every goaltending option must be examined.