Columbus Blue Jackets name Niklas Backstrom goaltending coach: 3 things to know
The Blue Jackets’ search for a new goaltending coach resulted in the promotion of former NHL goalie Niklas Backstrom as Manny Legace’s replacement.
Speculation about the hire began spreading last week, but the team made it official Wednesday.
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Backstrom, 45, joined the Blue Jackets in 2019 as a European based goaltending development coach. Sandwiched between stints in Finland and one season in Sweden, Backstrom played 10 years in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames.
“When you play, you’re really focused on that, and you don’t really think that much about anything else," Backstrom said. "When you get older, you start to think more about what’s going to happen. And for me, it was about figuring out what I wanted to do when I was done playing. I was pretty sure I still wanted to be a part of hockey and get involved, because I still have the passion. So, it's great to have this opportunity.”
Backstrom's next NHL stop also comes with the daunting task of helping Elvis Merzlikins rebound from two rough seasons. Here are three things to know about that and the Blue Jackets’ new goaltending coach:
Niklas Backstrom excelled in lengthy playing career before joining Columbus Blue Jackets
Backstrom, who’s Finnish, is only four years removed from the end of a playing career that spanned 21 years and three professional leagues, starting and ending in Finland’s top circuit (Liiga).
Aside from his final few years with the Wild and Flames, Backstrom put up excellent numbers in Finland and Minnesota. Prior to signing with the Wild in 2006, Backstrom spent nine years with Liiga teams, HIFK and Karpat, and spent one season (2001-02) with AIK of the Swedish Hockey League.
His play garnered numerous postseason accolades prior to his arrival in North America, where his success continued. As a Minnesota rookie in 2006-07, Backstrom won the William Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed while posting the NHL’s best goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.929). He logged 409 games for the Wild over nine seasons and finished with a 194-142-50 record, 2.48 GAA, .915 save percentage and 28 shutouts.
Backstrom's career in Finland spanned 12 seasons, including three following his departure from the NHL in 2016. He went 150-77-40 with a 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage in his Liiga career, posting 35 shutouts in 287 games. The Blue Jackets are counting on that success to translate into his new role tutoring Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov.
“Every year is different and every year you start from zero," Backstrom said. "You look at (Merzlikins) and he’s done it. He’s really skilled, has good size and he's athletic. There’s a lot of great tools, so he’s a really good goalie. It happens with almost every player. It can go up and down during the career, so you just have to find the way back. You have to work hard every day and give everything you’ve got, and that’s what you have to tell yourself every day.”
Niklas Backstrom faces big challenge as Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltending coach
Backstrom wasted no time starting the next chapter of his career after his final season playing for Tappara in Finland (2018-19). The Blue Jackets quickly hired him as their European goaltending development coach and he immediately began working with Tarasov, who played in Liiga with Assat in 2019-20.
Backstrom also spent a year scouting for the Blue Jackets in 2021-22 before returning to the European development coach position, where he kept tabs remotely on undersized Russian goalie Sergei Ivanov of SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Backstrom has never held the position of goaltending coach. That combined with the Blue Jackets needing Merzlikins to rebound makes his new role vital. Backstrom is replacing Legace, who was also promoted in 2018 from the Cleveland Monsters Ian Clark's replacement.
Legace, also a former NHL goalie, spent six seasons in the Blue Jackets’ minor league system prior to his promotion ― including the last three as the Monsters’ goaltending coach. Legace and Merzlikins developed a close friendship after the Latvian goalie arrived in 2019 from Switzerland, but their relationship might’ve become a road block.
Merzlikins attended a wedding celebration for Legace’s daughter July 4, 2021 at the coach’s home in Novi, Michigan when a fireworks incident led to the tragic death of Matiss Kivlenieks, his close friend and former Blue Jackets goalie. Merzlikins and Legace were shaken and leaned heavily on each other to cope with the loss.
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That’s Backstrom’s job now.
"Consistency is the most important thing, so you know where you’re going to be every day and that’s going to come from being well-prepared and working hard," Backstrom said. "That’s what everyone strives to be and that’s the goal for everyone, to be at your best every night. You’re going to have nights where it doesn’t go your way, but you work hard and you’ve got to bounce back right away.”
Niklas Backstrom tasked with helping Daniil Tarasov develop for Columbus Blue Jackets
Merzlikins has four more years left on a contract that carries a $5.4 million charge against the NHL salary cap That’s what makes “fixing” him such an urgent priority.
A second part of the Blue Jackets’ goaltending picture is every bit as important and impossible to miss.
Tarasov, 24, has become a bit of a 6-foot-5 question mark thanks to multiple injuries the past two years ― including a hip labrum repair in February 2022. He has also dealt with knee issues.
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Developing Tarasov into a solid NHL netminder is also on Backstrom’s “to do” list, primarily because the Blue Jackets are in a pickle with his contract. Tarasov costs just $1.05 million against the salary cap, but he now requires waivers for an AHL assignment. There’s no guarantee that a talented 6-5 goalie won’t be snapped up by another team via the waivers process, so it's likely that Tarasov will be Merzlikins' backup whether he's fully ready or not.
Backstrom has an established working relationship with Tarasov, who played one season in Finland, but he's eager to help both Blue Jackets goalies find their top form.
“I’ve seen those guys playing and I’ve seen those guys practicing," he said. "I know how good they are. When they’re at their best, they’re really good goalies. I’m really confident in that, but it’s going to be work every day. Every day you have to remind yourself that you start from scratch and you have to prove that you belong in the league. It’s a grind, but it’s fun. When you start getting close to the max level you can play, you can string some great games together and that’s a fun part of the game.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 things to know about Niklas Backstrom coaching Blue Jackets goalies
