Trotz: Backstrom 'up in the air' about being ready for start of next season

The Washington Capitals may have to begin next season without one of their biggest threats.

Nicklas Backstrom, the team's assists leader and primary setup man for Alex Ovechkin, may not be ready for the start of next season, according to head coach Barry Trotz.

The 27-year-old Backstrom underwent arthroscopic surgery on his hip, which is expected to keep him out of action for at least five months.

"I have been in pain since November sometime so we had to correct it," Backstrom told Swedish newspaper Gefle Dagblad in June. "It is difficult to say how long it will take to get back, it's a little different from individual to individual, but five months is something I heard. Right now I'm working mainly with getting up movement in the hip again."

Backstrom contributed 60 assists and 78 points in a Capitals lineup that pushed the New York Rangers in a tightly contested second-round series last postseason, so his loss would be a substantial one for Washington.