Nicklas
Backstrom
C · Balanced · Below average
- PAL
- 39
- WAR
- -0.2
- PTS
- 21
2022-23№ 480 / 617
Nicklas Backstrom stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Nicklas Backstrom
Retired 2026#19C
HEIGHT : 185 cm · WEIGHT : 92 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : November 22, 1987 · Gavle, Sweden
Drafted : 2006 · WSH · round 1, pick #4
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Washington Capitals | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | Washington Capitals | 39 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 14 |
| 2021-22 | Washington Capitals | 47 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 12 |
| 2020-21 | Washington Capitals | 55 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 14 |
| 2019-20 | Washington Capitals | 61 | 12 | 42 | 54 | 14 |
| 2018-19 | Washington Capitals | 80 | 22 | 52 | 74 | 30 |
| 2017-18 | Washington Capitals | 81 | 21 | 50 | 71 | 46 |
| 2016-17 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 23 | 63 | 86 | 38 |
| 2015-16 | Washington Capitals | 75 | 20 | 50 | 70 | 36 |
| 2014-15 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 18 | 60 | 78 | 40 |
| 2013-14 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 18 | 61 | 79 | 54 |
| 2012-13 | Washington Capitals | 48 | 8 | 40 | 48 | 20 |
| 2011-12 | Washington Capitals | 42 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 24 |
| 2010-11 | Washington Capitals | 77 | 18 | 47 | 65 | 40 |
| 2009-10 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 33 | 68 | 101 | 50 |
| 2008-09 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 22 | 66 | 88 | 46 |
| 2007-08 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 14 | 55 | 69 | 24 |
| NHL totals | 1105 | 271 | 762 | 1033 | 504 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Washington Capitals | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | Washington Capitals | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | Washington Capitals | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | Washington Capitals | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| 2017-18 | Washington Capitals | 20 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 6 |
| 2016-17 | Washington Capitals | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 2 |
| 2015-16 | Washington Capitals | 12 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 8 |
| 2014-15 | Washington Capitals | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 2012-13 | Washington Capitals | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011-12 | Washington Capitals | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
| 2010-11 | Washington Capitals | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2009-10 | Washington Capitals | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| 2008-09 | Washington Capitals | 14 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 8 |
| 2007-08 | Washington Capitals | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Playoff totals | 139 | 38 | 76 | 114 | 62 | |
Honours
- 🏆 Stanley Cuponce · 2017-18
Nicklas Backstrom: our analysis
2022-23 season: 39 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 PTS, -25 +/-, 16:53 TOI. WAR -0.2 (480th of 617) · PAL 39, below average.
In 2022-23, Nicklas Backstrom, 38, posts a PAL Rating of 39 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of -0.2 ranks 480th among 617 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: power play (68, above average) and defense (65, above average). On the other hand, discipline (12, among the weakest in the league) and possession (33, below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+0.6); his biggest cost: EV offense (-1.1).
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 14:34
- PP TOI/GP
- 2:10
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:04
- Pts/GP
- 0.13
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 2
- Blocks
- 5
- Takeaways
- 5
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 47.9 %
- Off. zone starts
- 43.8 %
- Faceoffs
- 52.4 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
Player ratings, 2022-23
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 39 %
69
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 42
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 69
- Confidence 44 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 75
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 59
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 68
- Confidence 44 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 20 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 63
- Confidence 44 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- 75
- Confidence 56 %
- PA
- Passing
- 78
- Confidence 39 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 75
- Confidence 39 %
- DF
- Defense
- 78
- Confidence 34 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 66
- Confidence 20 %
- EX
- Experience
- 97
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating42
- Top speed (35 %)34 · 37
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)3.323 · 59
- Distance /60 (20 %)15.9 · 75
- Speed consistency (15 %)33.7 · 51
ST — Strength69
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)3.51 · 65
- Body mass (50 %)-0.054 · 77
EN — Endurance75
- Ice time per game (45 %)15.6 · 77
- Total ice time (20 %)626 · 61
- Shift length (15 %)47.6 · 81
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)15.5 · 78
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.842 · 78
DU — Durability59
- Share of games played (100 %)0.685 · 59
CK — Checking68
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.296 · 69
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)3.53 · 68
- Season volume (10 %)3.219 · 60
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)1.042 · 77
DI — Discipline63
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.023 · 62
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.663 · 74
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.525 · 60
FO — Faceoffs75
- Faceoff % (85 %)50.7 · 75
- Faceoffs /60 (15 %)48.2 · 76
PA — Passing78
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.762 · 78
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.554 · 79
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.054 · 65
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)5.219 · 86
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.732 · 78
SC — Scoring75
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.778 · 72
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.781 · 74
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.103 · 75
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.282 · 77
- xG per shot (10 %)0.084 · 82
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)12.1 · 74
DF — Defense78
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.035 · 78
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.223 · 86
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.757 · 73
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.012 · 73
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-0.197 · 63
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)58 · 70
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.161 · 76
PS — Penalty shot66
- Shootouts (60 %)34.2 · 65
- Penalty shots (40 %)25.9 · 75
EX — Experience97
- Career regular-season games (65 %)99
- Career playoff games (25 %)93
- NHL seasons (10 %)96
OV — Overall69
- SC · Scoring (20 %)75
- PA · Passing (20 %)78
- DF · Defense (20 %)78
- SK · Skating (12 %)42
- FO · Faceoffs (10 %)75
- EN · Endurance (8 %)75
- DI · Discipline (5 %)63
- ST · Strength (3 %)69
- CK · Checking (2 %)68
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2022-23
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
PAL Rating
39/ 100
Performance · Below average
280 of 461 at the position
Value Rating
—/ 100
Season cap hit unknown
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 49
- Defense
- 54
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 54
- Creation
- 40
- Shooting
- 61
- Possession
- 33
- Defense
- 65
- Discipline
- 12
- Power play
- 68
- Penalty kill
- 48
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2022-23
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
24/ 100
Below average
better than 24% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
44/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
20/ 100
Below average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 321 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 56
- Shot selection
- 86
- Penalties drawn
- 7
- Puck management
- 19
Defense
- Takeaways
- 55
- Discipline
- 45
- Safe zone exits
- 5
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
WAR, 2023-24
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-0.3
wins above replacement
-0.6 to -0.1 — 90% interval
529 of 608 forwards
-1.8 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.3
- EV defense
- +0.1
- Power play
- -0.1
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- -2.0
- Penalties
- +0.2
- Average → replacement
- +0.3
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | WSH | 8 | -0.3 | -0.6 to -0.1 | 529/608 |
| 2022-23 | WSH | 39 | -0.2 | -0.8 to 0.4 | 480/617 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 112.2 km/h6th percentileleague avg. 136.0 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 32.7 km/h4th percentileleague avg. 35.6 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 13rd percentileleague avg. 73
- Offensive zone time
- 40.3 %28th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 31.1 km19th percentileleague avg. 200.0 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.77 km51st percentileleague avg. 4.70 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 38.1 %7th percentileleague avg. 41.3 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.5 %86th percentileleague avg. 17.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 41.2 %33rd percentileleague avg. 39.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1218th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| High danger | 826th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 214th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Long range | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2023-2024 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Last 5 games
| Date | Opponent | G | A | PTS | +/- | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2023 | vs SJS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:24 |
| October 27, 2023 | vs MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 11:55 |
| October 25, 2023 | @ NJD | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12:40 |
| October 24, 2023 | vs TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 15:36 |
| October 21, 2023 | @ MTL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:37 |
Nicklas Backstrom: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Nicklas Backstrom have in 2023-24?
Nicklas Backstrom has 0 goals and 1 point (1 assist) in 8 games in 2023-24.
How old is Nicklas Backstrom?
Nicklas Backstrom is 38 years old: he was born on November 23, 1987.
How tall is Nicklas Backstrom, and how much does he weigh?
Nicklas Backstrom is 6'1" (185 cm) and weighs 203 lb (92 kg).
Where is Nicklas Backstrom from?
Sweden: Nicklas Backstrom was born in Gavle, Sweden.
How good is Nicklas Backstrom?
Nicklas Backstrom produced -0.3 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2023-24, 529th of 608 players at his position in the NHL.
Is Nicklas Backstrom a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 529th of 608 players at his position in the NHL in 2023-24. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
What are Nicklas Backstrom's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Nicklas Backstrom has 1,105 games, 271 goals, 762 assists and 1,033 points. His best season: 2009-10, with 101 points in 82 games.
Where was Nicklas Backstrom drafted?
Nicklas Backstrom was drafted 4th overall (round 1) by Washington Capitals in 2006.
How does Nicklas Backstrom perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Nicklas Backstrom has 139 games and 114 points in his career. His pace (0.82 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.93).
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)