After nearly two decades in North America, Nicklas Backstrom is heading home nearly two full years after playing his final NHL game with the Washington Capitals.
The longtime Capitals center, 37, has signed a one-year deal with Brynas IF, the Swedish club where he began his professional career, marking a new chapter after a difficult final stretch in the NHL marked by injuries and uncertainty about his comeback to the rink.
Nicklas Backstrom, “Full of Energy” After Hip Surgery and Rehab
Backstrom, 37, hasn’t played since October 2023. His contract with the Capitals officially expired this summer, but he was forced to leave the NHL long before that.
Backstrom underwent hip resurfacing surgery in June 2022, returning in January 2023. Shortly after the start of the 2023-24 season, however, Backstrom was forced to put his career on hiatus for good.
"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,” Backstrom said.
Backstrom added that he had long hoped to return to Brynas, where he played before joining the Capitals in 2007, a year after Washington drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft.
Meaning Behind Nicklas Backstrom's Move to Sweden
Backstrom’s resume includes 1,033 points in 1,105 NHL regular-season games, all with Washington, and a Stanley Cup championship in 2018. The veteran center ranks second in franchise history in total points and leads all Capitals in career assists.
“I have always felt that I would like to represent Brynas again someday if the opportunity arose,” Backstrom said.
The Capitals released a tribute video and a statement thanking Backstrom for his contributions.
“Nick gave everything he had each and every day while playing over 1,000 NHL games in a Capitals sweater,” the team wrote.
Backstrom will wear the same number he used in his first stint there, as well as in Washington, No. 19, where he will join former Capitals teammates Michal Kempny, Christian Djoos, and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby.
The former Capitals standout already skated with his new team in his hometown of Gavle, with the Swedish hockey season set to begin in September.
