The Swede said he still has a lot to give the Capitals and believes he will benefit from a full offseason.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- Nearly a year ago, Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom couldn't even bend over to tie his shoes. Each stride was painful, as the joints in his left hip were grinding against each other with no cartilage left between the bones. Now, he's months removed from hip resurfacing surgery and said that the best is yet to come as he feels better each day.
The Swede is approaching the end of an inspiring comeback season, as he returned to play on Jan. 8 and did the impossible, taking on top-6 minutes and working his way back to top form after the experimental procedure that had left his career hanging in the balance.
Still, he believes he has more to give. With the team likely to miss out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2014, he will not only have a longer offseason but a full one where he can train with no setbacks or pain, which has boosted his optimism and confidence going forward.
"I'm really excited about this," Backstrom said. "I think that it's been lingering a little bit for years, and I haven't really been able to work out the way I wanted to. But I’m real optimistic about this summer, get a good summer and come back and be part of the team from the start, and be part of the training camp and be part of the team that’s competing.”
Through 34 games this season, Backstrom has six goals and 12 assists since making his return to the lineup on Jan. 8. He has been feeling better with each game and feels himself getting back to where he was, and he has officially overcome the hesitation and concern about his hip holding up as he's been pain-free on and off the ice.
“I think the leg is getting stronger, obviously," Backstrom said. "To be honest, the first game was a lot of mental, too. We weren’t really sure it was gonna hold up and stuff like that, but I’m at that point now when I'm not thinking about it, which is a good thing. So hopefully, I can just build on that and go from there.”
The 35-year-old underwent the procedure in Belgium back in June after trying every other remedy and path made available to him. Everything has gone according to plan for No. 19, with the only downside being when he triggers the metal detectors at the airport due to the metal shell now in his left hip.
He will need another checkup in five years, but for now, he's looking forward to continuing to show what he can do while helping his team rebound and aim to contend next year as he enters the latter part of his career.
"I mean, that’s our plan, right? We all know we’re getting older, obviously, but at the same time, we still wanna win," Backstrom noted. "We still have the hunger in here and just need it to click."