Nicklas Backstrom is making a return to professional hockey, just not with the Washington Capitals.
Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League announced Monday that the 37-year-old center has signed with the team.
The Capitals congratulated Backstrom on the move.
This isn’t goodbye, just see you later #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Y6VYzEcG0p
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 28, 2025
Backstrom hasn’t officially retired from the NHL. But he hasn’t played in a professional game since October 2023.
He spent the entire 2024-25 season on long-term injured reserve. His contract expired July 1.
The veteran center played just eight games in 2023-24 before stepping away due to ongoing hip issues. Backstrom underwent hip resurfacing surgery in the 2022 offseason, which caused him to miss the first half of the 2022-23 season.
He struggled to regain his previous form following the procedure.
Backstrom’s signing represents a homecoming. He’s from Gavle, Sweden, where Brynas plays its home games.
He came up through Brynas’ junior program and played three seasons for the professional team before joining the NHL in 2007.
Backstrom’s 762 career assists are the most in Capitals history.
They rank sixth-most in the NHL’s salary-cap era, trailing only Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Joe Thornton, Anze Kopitar and Evgeni Malkin. He served as the longtime setup man for Alex Ovechkin during Washington’s most successful years.
Backstrom also ranks second to Ovechkin in Capitals history in games played (1,105) and points (1,033).
He helped Washington win the 2018 Stanley Cup, collecting 23 points in 20 postseason games that year.
The Capitals selected Backstrom fourth overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, two years after taking Ovechkin first overall in 2004.
