Capitals Place Backstrom On LTIR; Sgarbossa Recalled

One week after he announced that he would step away from the ice, Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been placed on long term injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.

With the move, Backstrom’s $9.2 million salary does not count against the cap, allowing the Capitals to exceed the salary cap.

Backstrom, 35, played in eight games this season before stepping away, citing injury concerns. Backstrom has spent much of the past few years battling hip problems, and underwent a hip resurfacing procedure in June 2022 that left him with an uncertain future.

Additionally, the Capitals have recalled forward Michael Sgarbossa from the AHL’s Hershey Bears ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Florida Panthers. Evgeny Kuznetsov missed two days of practice with an illness before skating Wednesday morning, according to Monumental’s Tarik El-Bashir.