Capitals' Backstrom 'not in a rush' to return following hip surgery

Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom still isn't sure whether he'll be ready for the start of the season, but he doesn't want to come back too soon following offseason hip surgery.

"It's obviously not fun to not know, but on the other hand, I'm not in a rush," Backstrom told reporters after an informal workout Thursday. "I'm going to be back to 100 percent before I start playing. I’m not going to play on 90 percent. We’ll see how it goes. We don't know yet."

Backstrom underwent surgery in May and was originally expected to be ready for training camp. Head coach Barry Trotz said in July that Backstrom was "up in the air" to be ready for the season but should be ready to skate in camp.

The center resumed skating last month and took part in a non-contact session with his teammates Thursday. Backstrom said he's still unsure of when he'll be able to play in a game.

"We'll evaluate with the coach, training staff, the doctor, everything. We haven't really talked about that yet, but we will," he said. "Don't know yet for sure, but it's a good sign that I'm skating at least."

The on-ice component of Capitals training camp begins in exactly two weeks, on Sept. 17.