The Washington Capitals received unfortunate news regarding longtime forward Nicklas Backstrom on Wednesday. Backstrom, 35, has dealt with a hip injury for a while now. And he has decided to walk away from the game of hockey due to the issues stemming from that injury. It's a huge loss for the team, and defenseman Rasmus Sandin shed some light on the personal aspect of this.
Sandin has not worn a Capitals sweater for that long. In fact, he joined the team just last season at the NHL trade deadline. He was dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2018. When he made his way to the Capitals facility, Backstrom was the one who greeted him.
Since then, Backstrom and Sandin have grown close. As a result, Wednesday's news was particularly hard for Washington's 23-year-old defenseman. “Obviously, it's a guy that I've looked up to every day I've been here,” he told The Hockey News.
“He made me comfortable being here from day one, from just sitting up by the breakfast waiting for me to come down the first day and every single day I've been here. It's definitely a weird feeling,” Sandin continued.
Even beyond the personal aspect, Sandin believes this is a huge loss for the Swedish hockey community. “He's one of the best Swedes who ever played. It's definitely a tough one,” Sandin said, via The Hockey News.
At the end of the say, Rasmus Sandin and the Capitals understand where Nicklas Backstrom is coming from. All they can do is try to keep things moving without him. Washington takes the ice next on Thursday as they play host to the New York Islanders.
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