Former Washington Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom has signed a 1 year contract with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League on Monday the club announced.
Backstrom was forced to miss the majority of his final three seasons in the NHL due to injuries, suiting up for just 94 contests between 2021 and 2024. Now 37 years old, the veteran forward returns to his home club which he was a a Jr and Sr team member with prior to being drafted by Washington.
“I have always felt that I would like to represent Brynäs again someday if the opportunity arose,” Backstrom said, per a translation. “I have long had a great drive to return to Brynäs. After undergoing rehab and being away from the game for almost two seasons, I feel very charged and full of energy to contribute to the club’s future successes.”
The Gavle, Sweden native underwent left hip resurfacing surgery back in 2022 in an effort to restart his NHL career. However, his comeback lasted less than half a season before he was forced to once again step away from hockey due to health related reasons.
Washington’s all time leader in assists officially became a free agent on July 1st this year after his previous deal with the Capitals expired. Across 1,105 career games, Backstrom has posted 1,033 points (271G, 762A). A key member of the team’s 2017-2018 Stanley Cup winning roster, the 6’1″ forward piled up 114 points (38G, 76A) across 139 postseason appearances in DC.
Backstrom’s new deal also features an additional 1 year option which can be activated following the upcoming SEL season.
Photo: Dan4th. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.