He was one of the best playmakers of his generation, but had to end his NHL career far too early due to hip problems. But Nicklas Backstrom hasn’t said goodbye to professional ice hockey completely yet.
In his many years in the best league in the world, the Swede played a total of 1,105 games this season and was able to collect 271 goals and a whopping 762 assists. With 1,033 points, the playmaker is in 6th place in the all-time best ranking. The Swede with the best points of all time is Mats Sundin, who collected 1,349 points. Among active cracks, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is already in 8th place with 936 points.
Ovechkin’s congenial partner
Backstrom’s NHL career began in the 2007/08 season when he scored 69 points. For many years he and superstar Alexander Ovechkin were linemates on the ice. He had his best season in points in 2009/10, when he recorded 68 assists and 101 points. Remarkable: Backstrom assisted on a total of 279 goals for the Russian superstar. The Swede crowned his NHL career in 2018 when he won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals.
Hip problems end NHL career
Since 2019, Backstrom has missed a variety of games: from 61 games, to 55, to 47, to 39, before only playing eight games in 2023/24. Although he never officially ended his NHL career, the move to his native Sweden marked the end of his professional NHL career.
Back to where it all began
The now 38-year-old center forward was on the ice for his hometown club Brynäs IF last season and scored 30 points in 45 appearances. This made Backstrom the sixth best scorer for the team from Gävle. He will continue to support his youth club in the coming season; Backstrom has extended his contract for another year. Whether he will actually skate across the SHL ice again remains to be seen, as Brynäs announced on his website that Backstrom’s use is questionable due to injury problems.
Image: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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