Top 5 Capitals who won’t return in 2024

#1 Nicklas Backstrom

Nicklas Backstrom is out indefinitely and possibly for the remainder of his career. His hip surgery that he had back in the summer of 2022 was good for a while but in the end he just felt he couldn’t play and had to step away from the game.

We don’t know if this is for sure the end of Backstrom’s career but MacLellan has been hinting in interviews that it could be. Still it’s Backstrom’s call but him being with his family which includes a wife and three kids is certainly what he needs right now.

The sad thing about this if it’s indeed the end is how he likely won’t be the one setting up Alex Ovechkin when he reaches 895 to pass Wayne Gretzky. Backstrom may still see it from a suite or the press box but it won’t be the same.

Backstrom is a heck of a center and a good teammate. Not having him around is not easy for the veteran core or even the younger players. But we wish him all he best in whatever he decides to do.