Washington Capitals re-sign C Nicklas Backstrom to five-year contract

Jan 7, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (19) skates with the puck against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals all-time leader in assists has re-signed with the club.

C Nicklas Backstrom went pen to paper re-signing his contract to a five-year, $46-million deal.

The Washington Capitals have re-signed center Nicklas Backstrom to a five-year, $46 million contract#ALLCAPS #NickysBack https://t.co/10Z3z7GDBS

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 14, 2020

Backstrom, 32, will be paid $9.2-million a year on the contract.

The long-time forward is the all-time franchise leader in assists with 668 and is just one of two players in team history to record at least 900 points. The only other is teammate Alex Ovechkin, with 1,255 points.

Drafted fourth overall in 2006, Backstrom is in the final year of a 10-year, $6.7-million AAV. Last year, he became the 26th player in NHL history and one of two active players (Joe Thornton, San Jose) to record at least 50 assists in six consecutive seasons.

Of the other 25 to reach this mark, 23 are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The other two, Thornton and former Vancouver Canucks F Henrik Sedin, are not eligible for the HHOF.

This year, Backstrom has recorded 9-26—35 in 39 games this season. In 934 career games with the Capitals, he’s scored 240 goals and 668 assists.

On Twitter: @zjlaing