- Nicklas Backstrom was not on the ice when Brynäs IF opened its 2026-27 preseason
- The 38-year-old is home in Gävle but still on medical leave with no timetable
- Read below for the latest on the Backstrom injury and what Brynäs has said
Nicklas Backstrom still can’t skate with his team.
The former Capitals center was missing when Brynäs IF reported back for the 2026-27 SHL season on July 30. He wasn’t out there Monday either, when the club held its first on-ice practice at Monitor ERP Arena in Gävle.
Gefle Dagblad reported that Backstrom is back home in Gävle, but he remains on medical leave while rehabbing an undisclosed injury.
Lars Wigert, who covers Brynäs for Gefle Dagblad, wrote about what changed between June and now. Here is his post, translated from Swedish:
“Brynäs practiced today, without Bäckis. He’s on sick leave, the communications department says, which is ominous. Before the summer break the word was that he was doing rehab training. A clear step backward to my ears.”
The contract isn’t the complication here. Neither side used the option to terminate the final year of his two-year deal over the summer, so he stays on the Brynäs books for 2026-27.
Brynäs told everyone to plan for the worst back in May. The club said his rehab had no fixed end date and that the roster was being built around the possibility he never plays a game. General manager Johan Alcén called any contribution from Backstrom a bonus.
That’s a rough turn after a homecoming season that actually worked. Backstrom dressed for 45 of 52 regular season games and put up 30 points, three goals and 27 assists, tied for fourth on the team.
He scored on Oct. 4, 2025, his first professional goal since April 2023. He also played every game of the first-round loss to Växjö, adding two assists before the season ended.
Check out the club’s welcome-home post from a year ago, when the whole thing was just getting started:
A chronic hip problem is what ended Backstrom’s NHL run after 1,105 games and 1,033 points, all of it in Washington. Brynäs has not put a date on when he rejoins the group.
