Washington Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom faces a "lengthy recovery process" after undergoing left hip resurfacing surgery in Belgium Friday.
Backstrom hinted at the surgery in comments after the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs in May, and he sounded unsure if his career would be able to continue.
“The hip’s not going to be 100 per cent,” Backstrom said. “That’s something we all know. Some days are good. Some days are less good. That’s just life.”
The 34-year-old was limited to just 47 games this season by injury, scoring six goals and 31 points — both career lows. He has two years remaining on his contract with a $9.2 million cap hit.
Drafted fourth overall by the Capitals in 2006, Backstrom has played 15 seasons with the club tallying 1,058 games, 264 goals and a franchise-leading 747 assists for 1,011 points. He captured the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.
