Nicklas Backstrom’s time in DC officially came to an end this summer after close to two decades. The Washington Capitals franchise legend signed with his hometown club, Brynäs IF, in the SHL this past offseason after his final contract with the Caps expired.
While Backstrom already spent much of his time away from the team last season due to a long-term hip injury, the 2025-26 season will likely mark the first time many of his teammates won’t see him around the rink at all. Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom’s long-time running mate, spoke about checking in on his good friend’s games in Sweden after the first day of training camp on Thursday.
“Yeah, happy for him,” Ovechkin told RMNB’s Katie Adler. “You know, wish him all the best. Obviously, we all miss him here, but you know, he’s back on the ice, and I hope he’s going to do well.”
Backstrom played all 17 of his seasons on the Capitals alongside Ovechkin, notching 1,033 career points (271g, 762a) in 1,105 NHL games, and he even followed Ovechkin to the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow during the 2012-13 lockout. He is the franchise leader in assists and has more assists on Ovechkin goals (279) than any other player who has suited up with the Capitals captain.
Ovechkin acknowledged that it was odd to return to DC without Backstrom this season, also highlighting the absence of longtime teammate TJ Oshie.
“The same (with) Osh and now with Backe, you know,” Ovechkin added. “That energy they bring to the locker room, on the ice, and off the ice, it was tremendous. So, yeah, it’s kind of weird, but it’s a business.”
Ovechkin and Backstrom played their very first game together on October 5, 2007, and their last on October 29, 2023. Shortly after that final game, Backstrom put his NHL career on hold due to lingering issues with his surgically repaired hip, never returning to the ice before his contract with the Capitals ended this past July.
Backstrom is officially three games into his SHL return and has recorded three assists. He had his first multi-point game for Brynäs on Tuesday, recording two assists, in a 7-5 loss to Luleå HF.
John Carlson, another close teammate of Backstrom, has also been watching the Swedish center’s re-debut abroad, though he joked that the language barrier had proven a roadblock.
“[I’ve been following him] a little bit,” Carlson said. “I don’t read Swedish, so I kind of tried to poke around a little bit, hit a lot of walls, and gave up. So I think I’m going to task [Rasmus Sandin] with some homework one of these days. I heard it’s pretty difficult to [watch the games]. So we’ll see.”
Backstrom’s quick return to another professional league raised some eyebrows after he spent the vast majority of his final two NHL seasons on long-term injured reserve. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, another former colleague watching Backstrom from afar, told reporters that Backstrom had remained too injured to play NHL hockey through the duration of his contract.
“I’ve been following a little bit, but I saw some highlights, exhibition games, and then he didn’t go on the first trip, but yeah, I’ve been following,” Carbery said. “He was a non-player from our medical team, so it was not even a discussion by the playoff time. He was not going to be able to play.”
General manager Chris Patrick, too, pushed back against the idea that Backstrom was ready to play last season, though he was happy to see him have success abroad.
“Yeah, I mean, if he was healthy enough to play, we would try to get him in,” Patrick added. “Our understanding was for him to play NHL hockey games — he wasn’t at that spot physically. I’m really happy for him. Looks like he’s in a good situation playing for his hometown team, and hope they have a great season.”
Backstrom will be back in action next for Brynäs on September 24 against the Malmö Redhawks. In his last SHL game, he recorded a secondary assist on a Jakob Silfverberg goal in a 4-0 victory.
