Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Capitals have announced that star center Nicklas Backstrom underwent minor hip surgery on Wednesday. This puts Nicklas Backstrom’s performance in the second round against the Rangers in context. Backstrom never seemed like himself in the second round. After a stellar regular season that saw him lead the NHL in assists and finish with 78 points in 82 games, Backstrom had eight points in 14 games in the playoffs. Six of those eight points came in the first round against the Islanders and three of those points came in game two. Against the Rangers, he had just two points in seven games and lacked his usual speed and agility. A hip injury certainly explains the drop off.
The Washington Capitals have confirmed that the surgery is minor and that they expect him to be fully healthy by the start of the 2015-2016 season.
"“Based on the nature of this procedure we are confident that Nick will be completely healthy prior to the start of the 2015-16 regular season,” a team spokesman confirmed by email.On Tuesday, Backstrom was well enough to play a round of golf at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. – CSN Washington"
The surgery that Nicklas Backstrom will be having is an arthroscopic hip surgery. Generally, those are considered to be minor. It’s most likely to fix a minor problem such as a joint issue. Recovery time is usually pretty quick, as it usually takes about a month or two at most for people who undergo similar surgeries to return to full activity. If you’re interested, here’s more information about arthroscopic hip surgeries.
The Capitals absolutely need Nicklas Backstrom to be healthy if they hope to build off of the success that they had last season. He’s a very important part of the team and a big reason why the Caps lost to the Rangers in the second round was due to Backstrom mostly being a non-factor.
Next: Nicklas Backstrom 2014-2015 Season Review