Player Discussion Nicklas Backstrom

[trick9]

Let's make one thing abundantly clear: I don't believe it. I was just asking. I don't follow the Capitals. The bolded part is exactly the kind of confirmation that I don't have any knowledge of and was looking for to dispel these kinds of rumours. So thank you for that.

Fair enough, my bad on that account.

It's just that these rumours have been floating around last season too, and it's getting really old since there is nothing pointing towards that being even remotely true.

 

[Midnight Judges]

In Sweden, there have been loose rumours circulating for a while now that Bäckström is not really injured but got into some kind of argument with the coaching staff last season and is just sitting out the last bit of his deal before he returns to Sweden in 2025. Have any of you Caps fans heard anything with regards to this? Personally, I doubt it, but it has been repeated by several different sports journalists here, so I thought I should ask.

That is misaligned with everything I know.

During Backstrom’s entire career he’s been a consummate pro and a team player. Ask him to block shots, he blocks shots. Ask him to kill penalties, he kills penalties. There has never been the slightest whiff of an ego or a disparagement between Backstrom and the Capitals. His last contract was player friendly after his previous contract was team friendly.

All signs point to an amazing career that was handled well by the franchise.

 

[kicksavedave]

In Sweden, there have been loose rumours circulating for a while now that Bäckström is not really injured but got into some kind of argument with the coaching staff last season and is just sitting out the last bit of his deal before he returns to Sweden in 2025. Have any of you Caps fans heard anything with regards to this? Personally, I doubt it, but it has been repeated by several different sports journalists here, so I thought I should ask.

Those rumors don't pass the sniff test, and are purely click bait. Nicky played last year for Spencer Carbury, after his surgery, which required extensive rehab just to get back on the ice. He wanted to play, he gave it his all, 100% left it all out there, but couldn't compete anymore with a bad hip, that as of now has claimed 100% of its victims who've had the surgery.

Nicky is Caps foundation and team player at its very finest. He'd be our first line center right now if not for the hip injury. As Trick9 points out, he still hangs around with the team.

Being repeated doesn't make it any less garbage of a rumor.

 

[Calicaps]

Those rumors don't pass the sniff test, and are purely click bait. Nicky played last year for Spencer Carbury, after his surgery, which required extensive rehab just to get back on the ice. He wanted to play, he gave it his all, 100% left it all out there, but couldn't compete anymore with a bad hip, that as of now has claimed 100% of its victims who've had the surgery.

Nicky is Caps foundation and team player at its very finest. He'd be our first line center right now if not for the hip injury. As Trick9 points out, he still hangs around with the team.

Being repeated doesn't make it any less garbage of a rumor.

Didn’t Kane have the surgery and actually make it?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Didn’t Kane have the surgery and actually make it?

IMO so did Nicky. He just wasn’t being paid $2.5 mil like Kane was his first year back and now $4 mil + incentives this year…..his play was intolerable at his pay level over $9 mil.

If he was making $2.5 mil, he might be playing still, somewhere….

 

[Silky mitts]

In Sweden, there have been loose rumours circulating for a while now that Bäckström is not really injured but got into some kind of argument with the coaching staff last season and is just sitting out the last bit of his deal before he returns to Sweden in 2025. Have any of you Caps fans heard anything with regards to this? Personally, I doubt it, but it has been repeated by several different sports journalists here, so I thought I should ask.

It was a blessing when he stepped away because of salary cap relief, the idea that he did it out of spite doesn't compute. Even if he were to play in Sweden in 2025 I would assume there was an understanding with the Caps and he had been sitting for insurance reasons.