Nicklas Backstrom officially began the next chapter of his professional hockey career on Monday.
The 37-year-old center signed a one-year contract with his hometown Brynäs IF that includes an option for a second season.
The move back to the SHL, where Backstrom first started his pro career during the 2004-05 season, comes after he spent the entire 2024-25 NHL season on long-term injured reserve with the Washington Capitals and played in only eight games during the 2023-24 campaign. Backstrom officially stepped away from the team on November 1, 2023, due to lingering issues with his surgically repaired hip.
The Swedish centerman admitted on Monday that there had been moments when he believed the injury would force him to hang up his skates for good.
“If I’m being completely honest, I think that at some point in time it has probably popped up,” Backstrom told Aftonbladet’s Amanda Zaza, per a translation by Google Translate. “But the love and desire to continue playing have always been there and burned for me.”
Backstrom is just over three years removed from a complicated hip resurfacing procedure, which sees surgeons dislocate the hip joint, shave down portions of bone, insert a titanium cap, and create a brand new socket. Professional athletes who undergo the procedure do not typically have successful returns to their sports.
The once-ever-reliable forward visibly struggled in his return effort with the Capitals, recording just one point and having a plus-minus of minus-three during his month-long comeback attempt in 2023-24. Once Backstrom decided to step away, he still kept a presence with the Caps, attending a few practices, participating in alumni events, and traveling with the team to see Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.
“It’s been a tough year in terms of injuries, but now my body feels great,” Backstrom said. “I’ve been skating all summer and feel ready for the task. Nothing is certain when you enter an injury period. It has been up and down, but this is working well for me and my family, we made a decision together, and we are very grateful.”
Continuing his career in Sweden will only pose further questions for Backstrom. By all accounts, the high-scoring pivot looked great and was skating just fine during his initial comeback attempt with the Capitals. However, problems arose when the grind of the regular season started.
The SHL, although slower-paced due to the size of the league’s rinks, remains one of the top professional leagues in the world. Brynäs’s roster alone is peppered with recent NHL talent, including Jakob Silfverberg, Oskar Lindblom, Johan Larsson, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Kieffer Bellows, Michal Kempny, Robert Hagg, Christian Djoos, Erik Kallgren, and Collin Delia.
“It’s really hard to answer,” Backstrom answered when asked how he thinks he’ll hold up. “I feel great in my body. I feel whole, I feel excited. It’s going to be fun to get going. Then we’ll see what kind of start we get. The only thing I care about is that the team wins and plays as well as possible. I hope to contribute to that.”
One advantage for Backstrom is that the SHL’s regular season is 30 games shorter than the NHL’s grueling 82-game schedule. Brynäs also seems to plan to take Backstrom’s return slowly, not giving him his league re-debut until they’ve played an undetermined number of games.
