Photo: NHL via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals announced Thursday morning that center Nicklas Backstrom will miss the start of the 2021 training camp due to ongoing hip rehabilitation. He is listed “week-to-week.”
#Caps center Nicklas Backstrom will miss the start of the 2021 Training Camp due to ongoing rehabilitation on his hip. Backstrom is currently listed as week-to-week.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) September 23, 2021
The forward has been bothered by the injury since last season. He missed one game because of it, the Capitals’ penultimate regular-season game against the Philadelphia Flyers on May 8.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan confirmed after the season that Backstrom was dealing with a hip injury.
“Yeah, he has an injury that I think it caught up with him at the end,” MacLellan said. “It got worse, and he struggled to be at 100 percent.
“I think ‘Nick’ had a great year. He led our team. Unfortunately, he got worn down at the end of the year.”
When asked about injuries following their 3-1 season-ending loss to the Bruins, Backstrom would not say if he was dealing with an injury or not, but did say he thinks all teams are banged up at that time of year.
Nicklas Backstrom re: injuries: “We all played. I feel like at this time of the year everyone on every team has players banged up. There is no excuse.” #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/8u3DfMcUup
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) May 24, 2021
According to a report by Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet, Backstrom did not participate in the 2021 IIHF World Championship because of injury. The report stated the reason Backstrom declined to join Team Sweden was because he was dealing with a “troubled hip.”
“I [had it] operated on six years ago and then it was okay. Now I will be honest and say that it feels “like that”,” he told Gefle Dagblad.
Backstrom previously underwent hip surgery in the summer of 2015. It is unclear if he is dealing with an injury to the same hip.
Backstrom returned to workouts in early July. Backstrom’s trainer, Jennie Abrahamsson, said that his current workouts have been tailored to his specific needs. “We work a lot with treatments and the right exercises for him…but yesterday it was time for some intervals.”
The Capitals open their 2021 training camp this morning at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Their first preseason game is this Sunday with their 2021-22 season opener on Wednesday, October 13 when they host the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena.
It’s real, Washington! 😍#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/fJVauSH5OT
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 23, 2021
By Jon Sorensen
