The Washington Capitals announced Saturday morning that center Nicklas Backstrom is back. The first announcement was made on the team’s Twitter account at 11 AM. The message indicated that Backstrom will return for tomorrow’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He’s Back(y).#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Qas9kRwacY
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2023
Samantha Pell of the Washington Post later confirmed that Backstrom will indeed make his return on Sunday.
Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom will make his season debut tomorrow (Sunday) against Columbus. He is coming back from hip resurfacing surgery.
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) January 7, 2023
Backstrom underwent resurfacing surgery on his left hip on June 18, 2022. The surgery was performed at the ANCA Clinic in Belgium.
“The best thing I want to do is play hockey and that’s my life.”
Welcome back, Nicky! ❤️#ALLCAPS | @backstrom19 pic.twitter.com/MLuMaSmi6T
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2023
The Capitals shifted John Carlson to long-term injured reserve (LTIR), clearing the cap space needed to activate Backstrom.
The team will need to make an roster move to make room for Backstrom, which should be announced sometime later today.
By Jon Sorensen