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After more than a year away from the game, Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom will finally return to hockey, but sadly not in the NHL.
According to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Backstrom plans to sign a one-year deal with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League, the team he played with before Washington. Over three seasons with Brynäs' senior team from 2004-07, the 37-year-old scored 66 points (22 goals, 44 assists) in 110 regular-season games.
“Yes, the rumor has been going around for a long time – Nicklas Bäckström to Brynäs,” Aftonbladet's Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson wrote, as translated by Google. “The dream comeback. And the information we receive never stops. What we hear now is that he is signing a one-year contract with Brynäs and is treading very carefully. Maybe only playing half the games until Christmas. Then it will be more and more.”
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, Backstrom was an elite playmaker and essentially Alex Ovechkin's right-hand man. Over 17 seasons in Washington, he appeared in 1,105 regular-season games and scored 1,033 points (271 goals, 762 assists). He is the Capitals' all-time leader in assists.
Backstrom also scored 114 points (38 goals, 76 assists) in 139 playoff games, and was instrumental in the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.
Unfortunately, the past few years haven't been kind to Backstrom. He underwent hip resurfacing surgery in June of 2022, which kept him out for the start of the 2022-23 season. Even when he returned, he clearly wasn't the same player.
Then on Nov. 1, 2023, Backstrom stepped away from the Capitals due to lingering hip issues. He last played on Oct. 29, 2023, when the Capitals defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at home. He spent the entire 2024-25 season on long-term injured reserve.
Backstrom's contract, a five-year, $46 million extension he signed in January of 2022, is set to expire on July 1.
If this is the end of Backstrom's NHL career, then he certainly leaves a legacy to be proud of.
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