Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images
As things are turning in the right direction for the Washington Capitals, winning their last four games, things seem to be going downwards for star Center Nicklas Backstrom. On Tuesday, Capitals President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Brian MacLellan had some less-than promising words about Backstrom’s future.
“He’s been such a big part of our organization, the culture here, obviously winning the cup. He’s played 1,000 games with us, he’s got over 1,000 points,” MacLellan said in an appearance on the Jeff Marek Show. “Along with [Alex Ovechkin], they’ve been the face of our franchise for the past 17 years, 18 years.”
Before the season began, Backstrom said that he was fully optimistic about the upcoming season because he was pain free, following hip resurfacing surgery back in July 2022, and had a normal offseason of training.
However, Backstrom announced on November 1 that he would be stepping away from hockey due to health issues. He played just eight games in the 2023-24 regular season and recorded just one assist.
Washington Capitals Nicklas Backstrom Says He Will Step Away From Hockey Due To Health Reasons
MacLellan made his first public appearance on November 6, saying that the Capitals’ No. 19 was “unlikely” to play the rest of the campaign. But on Tuesday, the veteran GM dropped a pretty obvious hint that Backstrom is likely going to be out for more than just the remaining 67 games of the current season.
“I think that the hip thing came here probably three years ago, where it went to a different level and to watch him, first of all struggle, play through pain with it was hard… You didn’t want to see it end the wrong way, but you wanted to see him go out the right way. So it’s just a difficult situation all around,” MacLellan said.
“He made a decision here just a little bit ago that he was going to exit and that’s the way he was going out. So I give him a lot of respect for the way he did it.”
Nicklas Backstrom Unlikely To Play Again This Season
Backstrom is the Capitals’ all-time Assists leader with 762 helpers and is second in franchise history with 1,033 career points. He is the second player in franchise history to reach the 1,000 Games Played plateau and has spent his entire. 17-year NHL career in Washington.
The soon-to-be 36-year old signed a five-year extension in January 2020, with hopes of ending his career at the same time as Alex Ovechkin and helping him break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record.
“The storybook ending was, you’d like to see ‘Backstrom assisted Ovi breaking Gretzky’s record’. That’s the idealistic one, but unfortunately it’s not going to go out that way,” remarked MacLellan. “I think it’s tough for players that are elite [deciding] how they exit the game. How can they go out while still staying on top, while still maintaining your respect that you have as a player.”
There has been no public announcement as to whether the 2006 fourth-overall selection is indeed retiring. He is currently on long-term injured reserve.
By Jacob Cheris
I love this guy and wish he could play again.. but I dont see it… No one recovers from this op…
😔
we are a better team without him. Look at the run we’re on now, and also the runs we’ve been on the previous 2 seasons before his returns killed our chemistry.
So true and I might add that toss in Carlson, Oshie adn Kuemper and then the team becomes even bettter.
Disagree about Carlson. He can still play. Oshie is done tho. Kuemper I’m 50/50. He can steal us games single handedly, and others he can’t stop a beachball. Reminds me of Holtby towards the end.
I agree. Carlson is a contributor. Oshie, well, he’s my favorite Capital, so I want him to play with us forever! He’s still contributing, but it’s a slow start like Ovi is having. I’m hoping each game that it’s the day Oshie finally breaks the ice. Kuemper, well, I think we’ve seen that he’s just not consistent. I like the way you put it, perfect description!
Toss the guy that every recent Caps head coach has chosen to lead the team in minutes, still to this day…good call clown.
If you mean same as Holtby’s last 5 years as end of career, yeah, I agree. Goalies are sooooo overated. You just need a couple NHL level goalies and ride them when they are hot.
It seems that this owner and GM have a desire to “own” certain players regardless of age or ability. I always looked at Kuemper as a nice backup until the 21/22 season when he won the Cup. He has 1 great year that year. Still can’t understand other than the owners need to”have” something that they would pay that much for a goalie who had a great goa but only played in 30 games twice before coming here.
Oshie is a perfect example of overpaying for an older player, similar to Backy. Now can’t trade him and is not productive. Is Oshie the Caps version of Chrid Davis that the O’s had; did well for several years but when he went bad it was overnight and he was done?
As for Carlson, my worry is will all those minutes catch up in a negative way? And can he do this for 2 more years? If he cangood butpleasemay the Hockey Gods enlighten the owner and GM that they do not resign him after the 25/26 season at the age of 36. Somewhere in the back of my mind and in my gut there is a voice telling me that he will be finished then and not to resign.
He had a great career. IT is now time to retire before you do permanent damage to your hip and end up in a wheel chair at 36. Time to moveon toyounger healthy players adn I am sue that the owner will find a way go givehim the money for next season.
He will get his money, even on LITR, player still gets his contract pay, it just doesn’t count towards the Salary Cap.
I hate using the LTIR for someone who should just retire! Maybe, just maybe this will teach the owner and GM NOT to give more that a 2 year contract to anyone over 32! Nice thought but I doubt that you can change how they foolishly sign older players and spend A great example is Patch, signing someone who is on IR and not sure when he will be back, how effective will he be or for how long. This signing was grasping at straws and looking at what a player did years ago not that he has torn the same achilles tendon twice now. Are they that desperate for players that they go to the trash dumpster to get them ratherthan have faith in the players they have drafted. If the GM hasno faith in the players he has rafted either get rid ofs aid playes or get rid of the GM as he is not wisely drafting. Finally, all teams that have won for so many years like the Caps end up with poor picks in the draft due to always drafting low, that is jsut the result of winning. Live with it and go thruogh the rebuild not keep trying to patch a sinking ship. The thing to do is while you are wining trade some of your elitelayers as they age to obtain either oyounger players or high picks. The owner has to remember this is a business and not have a man crush on certain players just because they have done well.
“I hate using the LTIR for someone who should just retire!”
You act like the money is coming out of your own pocket. Don’t worry about it.
Not worried. He shouldjust man up and retire rather than hangig on on LTIR. The owner will see that he gets his money one way pranother. does he really think that sitting out the rest of this year and the summer willput him in a position to win a spot next year? retire adn just moveon with your life! thanks for the memories but tiredof this “Oh he was so good and hate to see himgo.” He can’t play and never should have been on the ice after last season.
How come the Negative Nellies are using the handle “Anonymous”? Don’t they have the courage to identify themselves?
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Such revisionist history here. “Overpaying old guys”. Guess what, these old guys weren’t old when they signed their contracts and had just dominated the league and won a cup. If you want to fault something, you can fault the term, but you talk like these guys were signed yesterday. Easier than critical thinking I suppose.