Nicklas Backstrom has been out of commission for nearly two months after suffering a concussion, and now it appears as though he is trying to find some answers. According to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post, working from a report in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Backstrom has returned home to Sweden to visit with a concussion specialist, which is not a very good sign. Here is a quick recap of the injury timeline.
Backstrom suffered a concussion on Jan. 3, when he was elbowed to the head by then-Calgary forward Rene Bourque. The 24-year-old center hasn’t played since, and over the past 59 days he has only been on the ice for five minutes. There is no timetable for Backstrom’s return and it’s uncertain if he will be able to play again this season.
As we've seen with Sidney Crosby, dealing with concussions is very much an inexact science. It seems unlikely that we'll be able to count on a return for Nicklas Backstrom before the end of the season.
UPDATE: The Capitals have officially denied that Backstrom went to Sweden to see a specialist, as Carrera tweets:
#Caps say Nicklas Backstrom is in Sweden to visit family, not see a specialist according to team spokesman.
The Capitals say that the trip was designed to get Backstrom away from the ice and give him some time to visit with his family. The club took a similar tack with Mike Green when the defenseman was suffering from head injuries last season. Backstrom is not expected back in the country until Sunday, March 12.
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