The Washington Capitals traded two draft picks to the Florida Panthers for Justin Sourdif this past June. The 2020 third-round pick had been unable to break through into Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup champion rosters, spending the majority of the past three seasons in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.
Since arriving in DC, the 23-year-old rookie has seen his role rise from fourth-line winger to top-line center in a matter of months due to circumstance.
Paul Maurice, who coached Sourdif in four NHL games, reflected on the young forward’s past with the Panthers ahead of his second visit back to Amerant Bank Arena on Monday night.
“I liked his attitude,” Maurice said pregame. “He had a big smile on his face. He had some of the worst luck that you can have as a player here. He’d have a great camp, break his wrist, whatever. He just had a run of injuries that kept him from being able to play regular. We had coming back this year and next year, prior to our injuries, we were pretty set. Everybody was signed.
“He had been such a good human being here that we wanted him to have an opportunity to go and play, and he’d earned it. He hit the right spot, and he’s having great success. We’re really happy for him. He’s a really good person, very hardworking, loved by his teammates, got some skill. Just fingers crossed for the young man that he can stay healthy.”
Sourdif struggled through misfortune and injury during his tenure with the Panthers and Checkers. In his rookie pro 2022-23 season, he played just 48 AHL games for the Checkers due to two separate injuries that kept him out for almost the entirety of January and cut his regular season short in March.
Sourdif was then the final cut for Florida out of training camp before the 2023-24 campaign, later making his NHL debut that year after an early-season recall. He was expected to battle for a roster spot again in the fall of 2024, but broke his wrist during Florida’s 2024 training camp after crashing into the boards, which forced him to begin the 2024-25 season on injured reserve.
In his first season with the Capitals, Sourdif has been relatively healthy, missing just one game with a lower-body injury in early December. Sourdif, who has been skating with Alex Ovechkin and Connor McMichael in recent contests, has just nine points (3g, 6a) in 37 games.
While the offensive output hasn’t been impressive, head coach Spencer Carbery has stated he is more focused on how Sourdif helps the Capitals control play than any number of goals or assists. During his five-on-five minutes this season, the Caps have seen 55.1 percent of shot attempts, 53.9 percent of expected goals, 55.7 percent of scoring chances, and 56.3 percent of high-danger chances.
In his first game back in Florida earlier this season, Sourdif scored against his former team in a 6-3 Capitals loss.
Sourdif has scored just one goal since then and is without a marker in his last 15 games.
