The Capitals expect top-line center Nicklas Backstrom to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing offseason arthroscopic hip surgery, Washington Coach Barry Trotz said Thursday. Backstrom practiced with the team on Wednesday, but it was non-contact, and he and Trotz have maintained that there’s no timetable for his return.
“He won’t start the season,” Trotz said. “I know that for sure. I wouldn’t think that’d he’d play through those first four games.”
The Capitals open the season on Oct. 10, and they play their first four games at home before a Western Canada swing through Calagary, Vancouver and Edmonton.