Though he’s undoubtedly the Capitals’ best player who is not also a namesake for this website, Nick Backstrom has a worrying pattern of injuries. He got the terrible concussion debacle of 2012 behind him, but a series of rumored and admitted bumps and bruises have made Backstrom somewhat less effective in recent springs.

This summer’s surgery on his hip, which he says had been bothering him since last November, is only the latest of Backstrom’s woes. As of right now, Backstrom is expected to miss the whole preseason and might not be ready for regular-season action come October 8. Though it’s uncertain now, Backstrom’s health and durability may be crucial to the Caps’ success in 2015-16.

We’ve seen Ovechkin struggle at times during 5v5 over the last three seasons, but never more than when he was playing without Nick Backstrom at pivot. When Backstrom is on the shelf, Ovi and the Caps’ possession dropped from 52.5 percent to 47.2 percent. Part of that drop is due to slim pickin’s for other options at center, but it’s also a testament to how terrific Backstrom is.

When I first learned that Backstrom was playing hurt since November of 2014, I was gobsmacked. I wonder how much better the Caps could have been last season if their best center hadn’t been playing through a hip injury.

Maybe the big difference between this season and the past is that Backstrom is already in recovery. If Backstrom can come back before long and avoid any dirty elbows or hip injuries in the midseason, it could be transformative for the team. Instead of the sputtering sound we’ve become accustomed to in the postseason, maybe we’d hear more of this.

 
I got chills.