ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom has undergone sports hernia surgery.

The team announced that Backstrom’s operation went as planned on Thursday morning in Philadelphia. The procedure was done by Dr. William Meyers.

The 35-year-old Backstrom aggravated the injury while warming up before Minnesota’s first game of the Western Conference quarterfinal series at Chicago on April 30. Josh Harding was sent in to replace him, and Backstrom was unable to play the rest of the series.

The Wild have said Backstrom is expected to be fully recovered for the start of next season. Whether he’s still in the net for them is another matter. Backstrom will become an unrestricted free agent in July. He has played all seven of his NHL seasons with the Wild.

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