On Monday, Nicklas Backstrom formally opened a fresh chapter in his pro hockey life.
The 37-year-old pivot inked a one-year deal with hometown club Brynäs IF, an agreement that carries the possibility of a second year.
His comeback to Sweden's top flight — the circuit where his time as a professional first began way back in 2004-05 — arrives after a period that saw him sidelined for all of 2024-25 — parked on Washington's long-term injured list — and limited to a mere eight appearances during the 2023-24 schedule. His departure was made official the first day of November 2023, as he pointed to persistent problems with the surgically rebuilt hip.
Speaking Monday, the Swedish center acknowledged there were stretches when he figured the injury might compel him to retire for good. Being entirely candid, he said, the thought had surfaced at certain points, yet his love for the game and his drive to keep going had never left him and continued to burn — according to remarks he gave Aftonbladet's Amanda Zaza, as rendered through Google Translate.
Roughly three-plus years now separate Backstrom from a complex hip-resurfacing surgery — an operation that calls for the joint to be dislocated, bone to be shaved down in places, a cap made of titanium to be installed, and a fresh socket to be created. Among pro athletes, those undergoing the procedure rarely return to their sport with much success.
Long a reliable presence, the centerman visibly toiled through his attempted Washington return, putting up a lone point along with a minus-three rating over the roughly four-week comeback he mounted in 2023-24. Having opted to step aside, he kept up a connection to the organization, showing up at a handful of practices, taking part in alumni functions, and traveling along with the club to see Alex Ovechkin pass Wayne Gretzky atop the career goals list.
Backstrom described it as a rough year injury-wise but said his body now feels excellent. He noted he'd skated throughout the summer and felt prepared for the challenge, adding that nothing is guaranteed once an injury period begins. It had been a roller coaster, he explained, but the arrangement works well for him and his family, who arrived at the choice as a unit and feel enormously grateful.
Pressing on as a player overseas opens up nothing but further question marks where Backstrom is concerned. As best anyone could tell, the productive center appeared crisp and moved well during that initial Washington comeback. Trouble surfaced, though, the moment the demands of the regular grind intensified.
Although the pace runs slower in Sweden's league because of its wider rinks, the circuit ranks with the globe's premier professional leagues. Just within the Brynäs squad you'll find a cluster of players boasting fairly recent experience in the NHL — among them Oskar Lindblom, Jakob Silfverberg, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Johan Larsson, Michal Kempny, Kieffer Bellows, Christian Djoos, Robert Hagg, Collin Delia, and Erik Kallgren.
When the topic of how he'll hold up came up, Backstrom admitted the question was genuinely tough to answer. He feels great physically, whole, and eager, calling it exciting to get going before the team finds out how its opening stretch plays out. The lone thing that matters to him, he emphasized, is the club winning and playing to the best of its ability, and he wants to be part of making that happen.
Working in his favor is the fact that Sweden's regular schedule comes in 30 contests below the grueling 82 the NHL demands. The Swedish club also looks poised to bring him along gradually, declining to hand him a return to game action until a still-unspecified count of dates have gone by.