Niklas Backstrom News: Backstrom says the ankle injury that's keeping him from playing in Europe is not to the same ankle that he had offseason surgery on, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Backstrom says the ankle injury that's keeping him from playing in Europe is not to the same ankle that he had offseason surgery on, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Analysis: Luckily this injury looks minor. Backstrom has a deal lined up to play for HC Dynamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, but it sounds like he's waiting to stay in the U.S. until he's forced to play abroad rather than an injury preventing him from playing.