NHL All-Star voters may not think much of Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom, but Caps head coach Barry Trotz's starry eyed take on his big center may trump the lack of national attention for the perennially underappreciated Swede. Trotz, speaking to the Washington Post recently, said that Backstrom is deserving of an All-Star nod this season, something he said as far back as Oct., thanks to Backstrom's stellar two-way play. Trotz even went so far as to invoke the name of the league's best two-way forward and a three-time Selke-winner when touting Backstrom's prowess in the offensive and defensive zones.
"It's like [Patrice] Bergeron, who doesn't talk about himself and get a lot of accolades, but everybody's recognized it and now they've seen him play in international tournaments and all this," Trotz told the Post. "You've got the coaches talking about how great Bergeron is. Well, I'm talking about Backstrom, and he's in that same mold as a Bergeron. They're complete players, they're fantastic on the draws, in every situation, on both sides of the puck and when the game is on the line."
Backstrom, nearly a point-per game player over his career - he's scored 603 points in 607 NHL games - who also plays a strong, responsible game in his own end, has never made an NHL All-Star game. This season, he's got 31 points in 30 games. And yet, no All-Star bid.
"I say this with all due respect, I don't know what people have been watching for the number of years who vote on the all-star, but this guy is outstanding," Trotz said, per the Post. "It's going to take someone like me getting to you guys and saying this guy is an absolute superstar, very quietly."
As Ted Leonis pointed out recently, Backstrom is first in points among a 2006 draft class that includes names like Toews, Kessel and Giroux. He's also second in points among players that entered the league in 2007, behind only Patrick Kane.
2. Nicky is first in points in the 2006 draft class ahead of great players such as Kessel, Toews, and Giroux.
— Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) December 22, 2015
In short, Backstrom has consistently been one of the best players at his position since he began his professional career, and yet he lacks the recognition of a player of his caliber. A Selke, the annual award handed to the league's best defensive forward, would be a start, and an All-Star bid would probably be welcomed.
But that being said, we're betting the reserved Backstrom would prefer hoisting the Cup to taking home individual hardware.
