Nicklas Backstrom shares some bad news in first public comments since the start of training camp.

A tough start for Backstrom.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Nicklas Backstrom shares some bad news in first public comments since the start of training camp.
Justin Cooper/CSM/Zuma

You never want to see any athlete dealing with pain and that is especially true of a man as well respected as Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom.

The veteran forward spoke to the media for the first time since the start of training camp on Saturday and it was during those comments that he provided an update on his health. Backstrom seemed optimistic about his recovery but there was no mistaking the meaning of his words, words that indicated he is not likely to start the season healthy and as a member of the Capitals main roster.

"I have no timetable here," Backstrom admitted as per the Associated Press. "We’re just going to listen to the body and go slow. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I’ll be back skating soon."

The suggestion that there is no timetable leads me to speculate that Backstrom expects that this will continue to be more of a long term rehab, one that is likely to carry into the start of the regular season. The question now of course is just how bad is the injury really? Backstrom stressed that he needs to let his body heal, a fact that could lead the Capitals to placing him on long term injured reserve at the start of the regular season. This would force Backstrom to miss a minimum of 10 games, although given his comments today that may not be the worst thing in the world for his body.

Backstrom will turn 34 years of age in November and while that still makes him a young man by normal standards, that is not the case when it comes to the traditional standards of the National Hockey League. As a result it should come as no surprise that his body his not healing as well as it used to at the start if his career.

While it is easy to see why fans will be disappointed if Backstrom is out to begin the season, they should also take comfort that no doubt both player and team are looking to make the best decisions for Backstrom's long term future on the Capitals. No doubt we will hear more from both the Capitals and Backstrom himself regarding this matter as the season draws closer.

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