Nicklas Backstrom headed into offseason with ‘decisions to make’ on injured hip

Backstrom has ‘decisions to make’ on injured hip this summer originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom’s 2021-2022 regular season was a grind both on and off the ice as he’s reached a crossroads with a chronic hip injury he acknowledges will never be 100%.

At Washington’s breakdown day Sunday, Backstrom said he’s unsure of what the future holds and that he will have to “make some decisions,” as it relates to his still-bothersome hip that kept him out until Dec. 15 and hampered his play the rest of the season.

Multiple Capitals teammates commented throughout the day, and throughout the season, about the sheer effort Backstrom had to exert to simply skate with the team every day at practices and in games. The injury kept Backstrom out until December, but clearly plagued him into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Obviously we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Backstrom said. “We have some decisions to make. Those decisions aren’t finalized yet, so we’ll take it day by day.”

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Backstrom, who underwent surgery on the same hip in 2015, wouldn’t say if surgery was a possibility for him this summer. Washington general manager Brian MacLellan, though, said that it is not sustainable for Backstrom to play another NHL season with his hip in the same condition as it is now.

When asked directly if it could be a career-ending injury for the 14-year Washington center, MacLellan did not answer the question directly.

“I think he’s going to explore all options here,” MacLellan said. “He wants it to be better. He wants to be more physically comfortable when he plays, so he’s going to explore it.”

Backstrom, 34, has three more seasons left on a deal that will pay him an average of $9.2 million per season.

“The best thing I want to do is play hockey, and that’s my life,” Backstrom said. “Obviously, I want to be back. I want to be back to normal, not worrying about this. We’ll see what’s going to happen. Nothing is finalized yet.”

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In 47 regular-season games this season, Backstrom tallied 31 points with 25 assists. He also took maintenance days throughout the season to rest the hip.

“He’s a warrior,” longtime teammate Alex Ovechkin said. “He’s a tough man. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be better next year. Obviously, everybody knows what he means to the team, for the organization, for us. He’s a leader and I hope he’s going to be better.”

Backstrom has been with the Capitals since 2007 when he scored 69 points in his rookie season. In his career, he’s played 1,058 regular-season games and 139 playoff games.

His health will be a huge factor — and perhaps the main factor — in determining how the Capitals approach their offseason after a fourth straight first-round exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But with the current health of his hip, all involved indicated that a decision must be made on what’s next.

“He put a lot more work into being ready to play than what people saw,” teammate Nic Dowd said. “A lot more work than probably 90% of guys in the NHL put in daily, Nicky put in on a constant scale. We needed him. Our team wouldn’t be the same without him.”