Ex-Capitals coach Boudreau compares Backstrom to Trottier

Bruce Boudreau hasn't coached the Washington Capitals since 2011, but his praise for center Nicklas Backstrom remains at an all-time high.

Boudreau joined NBC's broadcast of a throwback Capitals game from the 2007-08 season on Monday. Even though Boudreau was in his first season as an NHL bench boss and Backstrom was in his rookie campaign, the coach could tell early on he had something special in the Swede.

"Backstrom, even though he was really young at that age, was going to be a great player," Boudreau said, according to NBC's J.J. Regan. "(His) mind was thinking a thought ahead over everybody."

Backstrom has spent most of his career in the shadow of teammate Alex Ovechkin. The 2007-08 campaign was no exception, as Backstrom finished second in Calder Trophy voting to Patrick Kane with 69 points, but Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy after potting 65 goals.

When Boudreau was asked who Backstrom reminded him of, the coach put the pivot in some elite company.

"A player who's not overly fast or overly strong, like a Brian Trottier," he said.

Trottier, a Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup champion, is regarded as one of the best centers of all time. Playing on the great New York Islanders teams of the early '80s, he was also sometimes overshadowed by legendary teammates, like Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin.

Backstrom, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the best playmakers of his generation. Since entering the league, no player - not even Sidney Crosby or Joe Thornton - can match Backstrom's 684 assists, and he ranks fifth with 927 points during that span.

If the 32-year-old can remain productive during the back nine of his career, he too could have a case for the Hall of Fame one day, but a lack of individual hardware may eventually keep him out.