The Washington Capitals acquired forward Justin Sourdif in a trade with the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
The deal sees the Capitals send a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick in return to the Panthers. Sourdif is a 23-year-old former third-round pick of the Panthers in 2020 who was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Sourdif has played in four career NHL games for Florida over the past two seasons, recording one goal. He spent the vast majority of the 2024-25 campaign with the Charlotte Checkers, notching 34 points (16g, 18a) in 43 games. He added 10 points (4g, 6a) in 18 AHL playoff games as the Checkers advanced to the Calder Cup Finals.
The Capitals are expected to have some holes to fill on the wing heading into next year, with Andrew Mangiapane, Taylor Raddysh, and Anthony Beauvillier all set to become unrestricted free agents.
Before being drafted by the Panthers, Sourdif played five seasons in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings. In his final junior season, he posted 14 points (5g, 9a) in 19 playoff games to help the Oil Kings become WHL champions.
The Capitals will need to sign Sourdif to a contract this summer ahead of his first year in the organization. Per @AFPAnalytics, Sourdif’s one-year qualifying offer as an RFA is set to be worth $874k.
Here’s the press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Acquire Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers
23-year-old forward recorded AHL career-high 34 points in 43 games with Charlotte in 2024-25
The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers for Washington’s second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and Washington’s sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today.
Sourdif, 23, recorded 34 points (16g, 18a) in 43 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2024-25. The 5’11”, 181-pound forward ranked fifth on Charlotte in goals and sixth in points despite appearing in just 43 games. Sourdif’s 0.79 points-per-game rate was the second highest on the team among skaters with at least 20 games played. The Richmond, British Columbia native also ranked tied for second on the Checkers in game-winning goals (4) and tied for third in power-play assists (8) and penalty minutes (58). During Charlotte’s run to the Calder Cup Finals, Sourdif ranked third on the team in scoring with 10 points (4g, 10a) in 18 postseason contests and tied for the team lead in game-winning goals (2). Four of Sourdif’s 10 points came in the Calder Cup Finals, which Charlotte lost in six games to the Abbotsford Canucks.
Sourdif, who was originally drafted by Florida in the third round (87th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, scored his first career NHL goal in his lone appearance with the Panthers in 2024-25 on Feb. 25 at Nashville.
During the 2023-24 season, Sourdif recorded an AHL career-high 38 points (12g, 26a) in 58 games with Charlotte. Sourdif’s 38 points ranked fourth on the Checkers, while his 26 assists ranked third. Sourdif also played three games with the Panthers in 2023-24 and made his NHL debut on Oct. 16, 2023 at New Jersey.
In 149 career AHL games with Charlotte, Sourdif has recorded 96 points (35g, 61a). Sourdif has registered one point (1g, 0a) and a +1 plus-minus rating in four career NHL games with Florida.
Sourdif played five seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings, amassing 205 points (86g, 119a) in 199 games.
Internationally, Sourdif earned a silver medal with Canada at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, registering five points (1g, 4a) in five games.
