A hip injury that hampered Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom last season will keep him sidelined as the team opens training camp this week.
Backstrom, 33, is considered week-to-week as he continues rehab on the left hip, which he also had arthroscopic surgery on in 2015.
Despite the injury, Backstrom missed just one game last season and was on the ice for the Capitals’ first-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins.
Backstrom finished last season, his 14th in the NHL, with 15 goals and 38 assists in 55 games.
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“I think Nick had a great year,” said Washington general manager Brian MacLellan. “He led our team. Unfortunately, he got worn down at the end of the year.”
Over the summer, he turned down an invite from Sweden to play in the 2021 IIHF World Championship due to the injury.
Backstrom, who was taken fourth overall by the Capitals in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, is entering the second year of a five-year, $46 million deal.
In 1,011 career games, all with Washington, Backstrom has accounted for 258 goals and 722 assists. He helped the Capitals win the 2018 Stanley Cup.
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–Field Level Media