Nicklas Backstrom’s return season in the SHL has ended sooner than he would have wished. Backstrom and the rest of Brynäs IF were eliminated in five games by the Växjö Lakers in the quarterfinals of the league’s postseason.
Backstrom recorded an assist in the team’s elimination loss on Wednesday, but Brynäs ultimately fell 2-1. After the loss, the 38-year-old centerman was asked in a TV4 Hockey interview about his first season back in Sweden since the 2006-07 campaign and if he achieved what he set out to do for his hometown club.
“It’s been great fun,” Backstrom said, as translated via Google Translate. “I had no expectations before the year. The guys have been great. The reason I came home is because I love the sport, and because I want to play hockey. I’m incredibly grateful to Brynäs for giving me the chance to do it.”
Backstrom also broached the topic of his future playing career and whether the one season back in his homeland would be his last.
“It’s a tough question right now,” Backstrom said. “We have to evaluate, and then we’ll see what the management wants. Then it remains to be seen. Now I’m just going home to my family.”
Backstrom recorded 30 points (3g, 27a) in 45 games for Brynäs this season, tied for fourth on the team in scoring with fellow former NHL players Johan Larsson and Kieffer Bellows. He then added two assists in five playoff games.
Backstrom’s contract with Brynäs, signed last July, was for one year, with an option for a one-year extension. He told Swedish outlet Expressen that he and the team did not discuss that option during the season.
“Of course, it’s been really fun, even if you’re disappointed right now,” Backstrom said. “It’s been a great experience to come back and play ice hockey. People had higher expectations, maybe, but I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for two years, and I’m just incredibly happy to be doing what I love.
“You can feel that people in town breathe hockey. There has been an incredible drive in town. The fact that I have received so much love and emotion at home has been appreciated and nothing I expected. I will live with that for a long time.”
While Backstrom may not have his mind made up yet, Brynäs’s sporting director, Johan Alcén, has already done so.
“He is a fantastic person and teammate,” Alcén said. “We obviously hope he plays in Brynäs next year.”
Backstrom played the 2025-26 season with many familiar faces from his past with the Washington Capitals, including Larsson, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Michal Kempny, and Christian Djoos.
The Capitals franchise legend spent 17 seasons in Washington and played his last game for the club on October 29, 2023. Backstrom joined Brynäs after spending years dealing with chronic hip issues, including an extended absence after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in 2022.
Backstrom’s impending decision on whether to continue playing comes as his good friend, linemate, and longtime Capitals teammate, Alex Ovechkin, is preparing to make the same decision about his NHL future.
