Backstrom extended

Washington Capitals’ fans wish they were in the middle of a Stanley Cup run, but since they aren’t, the best news they otherwise could have received was given to them in the form of a 10-year, $67 million extension for center Nicklas Backstrom.

Backstrom’s contract details are outlined here by Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

This is a deal that was expected to get done before Backstrom had a chance to hit free agency on July 1, and now that the deal has officially gotten done, Capitals’ fans can exhale in knowing that they have a young, uniquely skilled (and still improving) centerman locked up for a decade alongside franchise player Alex Ovechkin.

Backstrom, who emerged as a top-five center in the league this past season, recorded 101 points and was the third-youngest player this year to score 30 or more goals.

Backstrom’s skills are evident by just watching one Capitals’ game, but one gains a full appreciation for his brilliance over the course of his three-year career. In one game, an astute spectator can see how the puck stays on his stick as if it were glued on, the eyes in the back of his head in finding teammates, his swift skating ability leading the rush, and ability to fend off much bigger players along the boards and in the open ice due to how strong he is on his skates.

But over the course of his career, Backstrom has evolved from a swift-skating passer into a multi-dimensional threat that can pick a corner with the best of them and is no longer afraid to let it rip.

And oh yes, he’s only 22 years old.

Backstrom’s $6.7 million cap hit means that the Capitals have committed $43 million to next season to the approximately $56.8 salary cap, with inevitable one-year raises slated to go to players such as Eric Fehr and Jeff Schultz. It’s probably too early to be dissecting the salary cap in trying to figure out what general manager George McPhee can and can’t do in the offseason.

At the press conference this morning at the Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington, the Capitals also announced an entry-level deal with 2009 first round pick Marcus Johansson. Johansson, who played in the Swedish elite league last season, will presumably compete for a roster spot on the Capitals during training camp in September. Personally, I can’t project him anywhere right now because I’ve never seen him play.

Interestingly, Johansson’s deal includes a clause that would allow him to go back to play in the Swedish elite league during the second year of his deal. Not sure what I think about this because I’m largely uneducated about the typical protocol in regards to signing European players. Is this normal? Help me out.

Final thought: Backstrom is a beast and a top centerman in the league – it was essential to get him locked up. Great to officially have a high draft pick in the fold, too.