Nicklas Backstrom’s move back to the SHL is expected to be made official tomorrow.
Brynäs IF has scheduled a press conference for Monday afternoon at Monitor ERP Arena, where Backtrom’s one-year deal will likely be announced. News of Backstrom’s planned return to his first professional team was revealed in mid-May by Swedish outlet Aftonbladet.
“Invitation to a press conference tomorrow, Monday July 28!” the team’s post reads, per an Instagram translation. “Due to a presentation of a new acquisition to the association and the men’s squad, Brynäs IF invites press and media to a press conference tomorrow, Monday, July 28 at 1 pm.”
Szymon Szemberg was first to point out the likely subject of the presser on Sunday, writing, “It is widely speculated that the Gävle-club will announce the signing of Nicklas Bäckström, 37. Brynäs was the club he left in 2007 when signing with WSH.”
Backstrom’s final contract with the Capitals expired on July 1 after the franchise’s top assist man spent the entire 2024-25 campaign on long-term injured reserve. He has not played in a game since October 29, 2023, and officially stepped away from the Capitals on November 1, 2023, due to lingering issues with his surgically-repaired hip.
The 37-year-old center is now over three years removed from his hip resurfacing surgery. In his abbreviated 2023-24 season with the Capitals, he recorded just one assist in eight games.
Backstrom didn’t stray too far from the club in his final year, attending multiple practices and being in the team’s locker room for an emotional moment with longtime teammate Alex Ovechkin when the latter broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.
Before arriving in the NHL with the Washington Capitals for the 2007-08 season, Backstrom came up through Brynäs’s junior ranks and played three seasons with their senior team. In what was then known as the Swedish Elite League, Backstrom recorded 66 points (22g, 44a) in 110 games from 2004 to 2007. He also had 7 points (4g, 3a) in 11 playoff games.
The Backstrom family put their Northern Virginia home up for sale last April, and it is still on the market. They also own a luxury villa in his native Gävle, Sweden, which Backstrom had built in 2010. Brynäs plays their home games in Gävle.
Backstrom will be joined on Brynäs next year by several familiar faces, including former Capitals Michal Kempny, Christian Djoos, and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby.
