Awful update provided on Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom

Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom has been a mainstay on the roster alongside captain Alexander Ovechkin for years now, and played a pivotal role in bringing the nation's capitol their first ever Stanley Cup championship in 2018. 

However, Backstrom has been battling a nagging hip injury that limited him to only 47 games last season. He recently underwent surgery to correct the issue, but it's looking more and more like he won't be appearing on the ice this year for Washington. 

According to Caps beat writer Tarik El-Bashir, the team is preparing for life without Backstrom this season. However, the news isn't all bad, as there's a glimmer of hope that he potentially could return for a postseason run. 

Take a look at what he recently wrote in The Athletic regarding Backstrom's status: 

• "It feels to me like the Caps are planning to be without Backstrom all season, with perhaps a chance of the 34-year-old returning in the postseason, when cap considerations are no longer part of the equation. So, I really don’t think this is going to be an issue.
• The Caps are going to need to know Backstrom’s status — and know for surethat he’s able to help — well prior to the yet-to-be determined trade deadline date. Last year’s deadline was March 21.
• If Backstrom is able to return next season — and let’s be honest, that feels like a huge “if” at this point — it would create an immediate logjam at center, assuming Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dylan Strome, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd are all healthy. So that’s probably where GM Brian MacLellan would likely look to create room."

In 1,058 career NHL games, all played with the Capitals, Backstrom has scored 281 goals while also racking up 747 assists, the first player in team history to reach over 700 helpers.