Nicklas Backstrom Eyes Comeback And Possibly A Spot On Sweden’s Olympic Roster
This would be a massive comeback for one of the best playmakers of the last two decades.
It's been a couple of years since we've seen Nicklas Backstrom in the National Hockey League, but he's making a comeback, and there's some buzz that he could cap it off by cracking the Swedish Olympic roster.
Backstrom spent his entire seventeen-season NHL career with the Washington Capitals, until just a handful of games into the 2023-24 NHL season, when he stepped away from the sport due to health reasons.
In Washington, Backstrom put up big numbers with 1,033 points and 762 assists — many of which came on goals scored by his long-time running mate Alex Ovechkin — which makes him the franchise leader in assists.
Backstrom was limited in his last few seasons due to injuries, but he recently signed a one-year deal with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League, the team with which he started his pro career two decades ago.
Having one of the nation's best playmakers ever back in action will certainly raise some eyebrows for the Swedish National Team. Head coach Sam Hallam made it clear in an interview with The Swedish Herald that Backstrom is very much on his radar as the team selects its roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.'
Nicklas Backstrom will return to hockey in his native Sweden this year, and is already getting some buzz about possibly making the country's Olympic roster. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
"It will be interesting to follow," Hallam said. "The Olympic Games are far ahead. I will take it step by step. I just want to see that he is doing well, that he is on the ice, and that he can play regularly to start with."
Hallam said he had not spoken to Backstrom and reiterated that he wants to see how things play out this season.
We're a long way off, but what a comeback that would be for Backstrom. He was, obviously, not one of the six players already named to the Swedish roster, and while he's not going to be a top-line forward like he was in Washington, he could provide some solid depth as a bottom-six center to help get some scoring out of the third or fourth line.
An Olympic appearance in Italy would be Backstrom's third after previously donning the Tre Kronor at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Games in Sochi.