Calgary issued Mikael Backlund a qualifying offer, but the club expects more from him this season. The center was a first-round pick in 2007, but he's sputtered since being given a shot in the NHL, tallying only four goals and 11 points in 41 games this past season. "I hope that he comes back with a real seriousness of purpose," general manager Jay Feaster said. "And Mikael knows this. We talked about it multiple times through the season, and we talked about it at his exit meeting Many times this season, he was whistling past the graveyard."