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Nicklas Backstrom

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers

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The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again.  However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener.  However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip.  An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
  • Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating.  As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
  • While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.

Injury Updates: Backstrom, Kravtsov, Boeser, Senators

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While Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom doesn’t want to rule out the possibility that he’s available for Washington’s season opener, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports that all signs point to the veteran not being available when the regular season gets underway.  Backstrom is dealing with a hip injury, the same side that he had surgery on in 2015 and is hopeful to start skating soon.  The Caps don’t have the cap space to carry a full 23-man roster so this could put them in a bit of a tight squeeze to start the season.  It could, however, create an opening for youngster Connor McMichael to break camp in a top-six role, at least in the short term.  Backstrom would need to miss three weeks and ten games to be eligible for LTIR relief.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov left Friday’s game after the first period due to a lower-body injury but it’s not believed to be a serious one, head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters including Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Kravtsov had four points in 20 games last season after coming over from the KHL and is expected to have a regular role in their lineup in 2021-22.
  • Canucks winger Brock Boeser will miss at least a week due to an undisclosed injury, relays Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday but hasn’t skated since.  With still more than a week left until the start of the regular season, Boeser should be ready to go on opening night as long as there aren’t any setbacks along the way.
  • Senators defenseman Victor Mete suffered a minor injury in Friday’s victory over Montreal and while he was supposed to play tonight as well, that won’t be the case, notes Ian Mendes of The Athletic (Twitter link). There’s no word regarding the nature of the injury.  Meanwhile, Mendes adds in a separate tweet that prospect Parker Kelly is undergoing further evaluation for an upper-body injury that he suffered last night and that they’re hoping for more information on how long he might be out for on Sunday.

Negotiation Notes: Ovechkin, Malkin, NHLPA

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When the new league year begins, the Washington Capitals and franchise icon Alex Ovechkin are expected to enter contract talks as soon as possible. Ovechkin is entering the final year of his contract, but can sign an extension as early as October 9. Talks should run smoothly for the superstar and the only team he’s ever played for; TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Ovechkin will once again negotiate the deal by himself. Ovechkin represented himself in contract talks last time around, all the way back in 2008, and landed a whopping 13-year, $124MM contract. Long-time friend and teammate Nicklas Backstrom was also successful negotiating an extension with the Capitals earlier this season. Ovechkin has no reservations about sitting down at the table by himself with GM Brian MacLellan and company to work out what could very well be the final contract of his storied career.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin is still two years away from free agency, but sources tell The Athletic’s Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe that there is already mutual interest between player and team in an extension. Specifically, the two side are eyeing a three-year term, which would keep Malkin in Pittsburgh through the 2024-25 season, after which he would likely retire. Sidney Crosby’s current contract, a 12-year pact, is also set to expire that off-season. The dynamic duo will be 38 and 37 respectively at that time, so expect a changing of the guard in Pittsburgh to occur that off-season.
  • In more current and pressing negotiations, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the NHLPA is creating a player committee to work with the NHL on the logistics of the 2020-21 season. The two sides are expected to meet after the end of the Stanley Cup Final in the hopes that there can be concrete progress prior to the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency. With the “when” and “how” of the coming season still very much up in the air there is plenty of work for both sides before a suitable plan can be rolled out to the public.

Metropolitan Notes: Capitals, Konecny, Riikola

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The Washington Capitals were forced to make some significant lineup changes after several players were deemed out of the lineup for their matchup with the New York Islanders Sunday. The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell reports the Caps will be without Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) for a second straight game. The team, however, is also expected to be without Travis Boyd and Michal Kempny.

Backstrom missed Game 2 due to being in concussion protocol. He made an appearance at Saturday’s practice with many hoping that he would step in for Game 3 with the Capitals being down 2-0 in their series against the Islanders. However, he is not ready and Lars Eller is expected to move into the second-line center role with Brian Pinho expected to make his NHL debut and step into the third-line center role. Both Boyd and Kempny are healthy scratches with Radko Gudas checking in.

  • While there has been no official word on his status, Philadelphia Flyers fans might be able to breathe easier as forward Travis Konecny was seen at the Flyers’ morning skate, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. The Flyers’ forward was forced to leave Game 2 after blocking a shot with his leg. Konecny, who has scored 24 goals for three straight years, would be a big addition for the team that lost 5-0 to Montreal Friday. If Konecny doesn’t go today, Michael Raffl is expected to go in his place.
  • PGH Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski writes that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason, isn’t going to be returning to Finland. The 26-year-old stuck around with the Penguins as a seventh defenseman, appearing in 36 games. However, while the team felt he needs more time to work on his defensive game, Riikola will likely battle Pierre-Olivier Joseph for a third-line spot on the team next season.

Metropolitan Notes: Foudy, Backstrom, Raffl

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Blue Jackets forward Liam Foudy has been a key player for Columbus so far this postseason.  After starting in a lower role, he has spent time on the top line recently and there’s little reason to think he’ll be coming out of the lineup.  Accordingly, the team will be burning the first year of his entry-level contract once he suits up for his next game which should be later today for the third game of their series against Tampa Bay.  While this will only be Foudy’s eighth appearance since the NHL returned, he also got into a pair of games close to the trade deadline while on emergency recall which means that this will be his tenth game of the year.  Considering his impact so far, it’s a decision they’ll certainly be comfortable making even if it means his second contract will come a year earlier.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Capitals are hoping to have center Nicklas Backstrom back for Game Three of their series against the Islanders on Sunday, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. He missed Friday’s contest as he is currently in concussion protocol.  With Washington down 2-0 in the series already, they could certainly use the 32-year-old who was third on the team in scoring during the regular season with 12 goals and 42 assists in 61 games.
  • Flyers winger Michael Raffl appears to be nearing a return as he took part in Friday’s pregame skate, relays Adam Kimelman of NHL.com (Twitter link). The veteran was injured during the round robin in a collision with Boston blueliner Jeremy Lauzon.  At the time, Alain Vigneault indicated that Raffl wasn’t going to be available for a little bit.  The 31-year-old had 20 points in 58 games during the regular season and would be a boost to their bottom six group whenever he gets the green light to suit up.

Injury Notes: Pastrnak, Backstrom, Vehvilainen

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The Boston Bruins dropped a game time bomb on Thursday night, announcing that star forward David Pastrnak had been deemed “unfit to participate” and would miss Game Two. There is no official word on Pastrnak’s condition and whether he will miss any future games with this current ailment. It could be that the Rocket Richard winner simply could not bounce back from a minor injury sustained on Wednesday in just over 24 hours’ time. Pastrnak did appear to be in discomfort following his assist on the game-winning goal in double overtime of Game Two. However, others have noted that Pastrnak also missed practice on Monday and could be nursing a lingering issue. The Bruins certainly do not want their elite scorer to be out of the lineup for too long, so any further clarification on Pastrnak’s injury will be key to Boston’s Stanley Cup hopes this postseason. In the meantime, Anders Bjork has replaced Pastrnak on the team’s top line while Karson Kuhlman has been inserted into the lineup.

  • The Washington Capitals will also be missing one of their stars for Game Two on Friday. First line center Nicklas Backstrom has entered the league’s concussion protocol, reportscom’s Tom Gulitti, and will not be able to return to the lineup just yet. Backstrom was the recipient of high hit from the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, which cost him two penalty minutes, early in the first period of the Capitals’ Game One loss on Tuesday. Backstrom played through the period but did not return after the break. There is no word on how long Backstrom may be out of the lineup. While Backstrom is certainly a major loss, his absence fortunately lines up with a return for fellow center Lars Eller, who had left the Toronto bubble due to the birth of his son and missed Game One.
  • Veini Vehvilainen has arrived in Toronto to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as their No. 3 goalie, with Elvis Merzlikins still nursing an injury. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger notes that Vehvilainen has already officially joined the roster after landing Wednesday, while adding that he will not count against the 31-man maximum bubble roster limit as goalie injuries allow for an exception to be made. In the unlikely event that Vehvilainen has to make an appearance for Columbus, it would be his NHL debut. The well-regarded Finnish product finally made the jump to North America this season, but played exclusively in the AHL.

Nicklas Backstrom Signs Five-Year Extension

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The Washington Capitals weren’t going to let one of their franchise icons go anywhere. Nicklas Backstrom has agreed to a five-year contract extension that will delay his unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2025. Backstrom negotiated the deal himself, and will get a hefty raise. The contract is worth a total of $46MM, meaning the veteran center will carry a $9.2MM cap hit starting next season. The full breakdown is as follows:

  • 2020-21: $6.0MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
  • 2021-22: $5.0MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $3.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $5.0MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $2.0MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the deal also includes a full no-movement clause in the first three years and a 15-team no-trade clause in the final two. Backstrom currently carries a $6.7MM cap hit, though that deal was signed back in 2010 and was actually worth the same cap percentage at the time as his new one.

There was little doubt that the two sides would eventually get something done, as Backstrom is not only a franchise icon but still one of their most productive players. The 32-year old center has had six consecutive seasons of at least 70 points and is well on his way to that mark again with 35 points in his first 39 games. The dynamic playmaker may never match his career-highs of 33 goals and 101 points set back in 2009-10, but he is still a force on the powerplay and can carry a top-six line.

Still, signing any 32-year old to a five year extension carries a fair amount of risk. The fact that it makes him the 17th highest-paid forward in the league next season only exacerbates that risk, meaning the Capitals have to make sure they are still surrounding their aging duo of Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin with enough young talent to compete. Luckily, the team has been hesitant to trade their first round picks in recent years meaning they have prospects like Connor McMichael and Alex Alexeyev on the way.

The focus in Washington now turns to Braden Holtby, another piece of their core that is scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Holtby’s situation is quite different than Backstrom’s however, given the play of Ilya Samsonov this season. The young goaltender has quite clearly outplayed Holtby and looks ready to take on a starting role in the NHL. Even in a bad year, the veteran Capitals goaltender will command a huge contract on the open market thanks to his long history of success and playoff triumphs.

For now though it is a day to celebrate Backstrom’s new deal, which will almost certainly allow him to become the second player in Capitals history to score 1,000 points with the franchise. He is already the all-time franchise leader in assists with 668, and is likely on his way to the Hall of Fame one day.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Nicklas Backstrom

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While all of the focus may be on Taylor Hall as the top player headed for unrestricted free agency, the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals have two big names of their own on expiring deals. Braden Holtby is in the final year of his deal and could be the next goaltender to land a huge contract on the open market, and franchise icon Nicklas Backstrom is about to see his current 10-year contract come to an end with the only team he’s ever known. Backstrom notably is negotiating with the Capitals on his own and as Samantha Pell of the Washington Post reports, the two sides are still trying to find common ground when it comes to contract length.

Pell suggests that the 32-year old Backstrom would prefer a five-year term, while the team may be looking at a three-year deal for their long-time center.

Since being selected fourth overall in 2006, Backstrom has been nothing but outstanding for a Capitals organization that put faith in him from the very beginning. Debuting in the NHL during the 2007-08 season, the slick playmaker recorded 69 points in 82 games and established himself as a star right out of the box. In the decade plus since, Backstrom has been a consistent presence at the top of the lineup, scoring at nearly a point-per-game over more than 900 contests.

If he can stay healthy, Backstrom will likely hit the 1,000 point and 1,000 game mark next season, be it in Washington or elsewhere. He’s still playing at a high level and impacting the game positively, though any team would have to move forward with caution given his age.

Having just turned 32, any contract extension at this point is buying years of decline and could bite the Capitals if there is a precipitous drop in his effectiveness. The team is already dancing with the salary cap ceiling and notably has another big contract nearing its conclusion. Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124MM deal comes to an end after the 2020-21 season, the same time that young snipe Jakub Vrana will be looking for his final deal as a restricted free agent. Any deal for Backstrom (or Holtby, for that matter) will impact how much flexibility the Capitals have down the road, though at this point it seems both sides are on track to work something out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Three Stars, Backstrom, Wilson

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, and a familiar name is at the very top. Nathan MacKinnon finds himself awarded top honors once again after nine points in three games. The Colorado Avalanche center has been carrying the offensive weight without his usual running mates Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog as they deal with injury, but shows no sign of slowing down.

Second and third place go to a pair of goaltenders who have battled hard to stay in their respective roles. David Rittich stopped 95 of 101 shots last week to help the Calgary Flames potentially save their season, while Martin Jones is a huge reason why the San Jose Sharks are back in the playoff race at all. Both netminders have had their share of adversity over the years, but are playing inspired hockey at the moment.

  • It was reported recently that Nicklas Backstrom is representing himself in negotiations with the Washington Capitals, and he confirmed as much today to reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. Pell reports that Backstrom actually wanted to get an extension done with the team before the season began, but feels he “can be honest” with the organization after so many years together. The 32-year old center is in the final season of a ten-year contract he signed with the Capitals in 2010 and carries a $6.7MM cap hit.
  • Speaking of Colorado injuries, Colin Wilson will undergo surgery on a lower-body injury and is out for a while, according to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic. Wilson has only played nine games this season and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. It’s not clear exactly how long he will be out.

Eastern Notes: Hughes, Backstrom, Dumoulin, Clifton

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The New Jersey Devils will be without their top rookie for a second straight game as head coach John Hynes revealed that center Jack Hughes will not play against the Buffalo Sabres Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Cory Masisak. Hynes did suggest that Hughes may be available on Tuesday against Vegas.

No one is sure when or how Hughes got hurt, other than it is considered to be a lower-body injury. Hughes, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, hasn’t been as dominant as the team has hoped although the 18-year-old has flashed some elite skills and should be a building block for the team in the future. Hughes currently has four goals and 11 points in 24 games.

  • The Washington Capitals are expected to get forward Carl Hagelin back from LTIR for Tuesday’s game at San Jose, but The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir reports that the team is hoping to get back center Nicklas Backstrom as well. The veteran forward will travel with the Capitals on their West Coast road trip and Backstrom’s return hinges on how things will go in practice on Monday.
  • TribSports’ Seth Rorabaugh suggests that the injury to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who underwent surgery to repair lacerated tendons in his ankle earlier today and will be out for eight weeks, could be construed as good timing, if such a thing is possible. Assuming the eight-week timetable holds up, Dumoulin would be out during the holiday break and during the team’s bye-week at the end of January.
  • The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that the Boston Bruins had a tough decision to make as defenseman Connor Clifton is within one game of playing his 60th game of his career (playoff games count). Once he plays that game, which is expected to be today given the team’s announced lineup, the Bruins will be required to pass the blueliner through waivers to send him to the AHL. The problem is that despite playing well, the team is expected to get John Moore and Kevan Miller back sooner than later with Moore currently on a conditioning stint with Providence Bruins. To slow the process, Boston has been swapping Clifton with Steven Kampfer, but as Shinzawa suggests that the Bruins have a better chance of winning with Clifton in the lineup. While Clifton has just two goals on the season, he does have 44 hits in 22 games.

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