The Washington Capitals are getting serious with two of their young players headed for restricted free agency next summer.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick has begun contract negotiations with both Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Both players have one year remaining on their current deals. Leonard is entering the final season of his entry-level contract, while Sourdif has one year left on the two-year deal he signed with Washington after being traded by the Florida Panthers.
With the NHL seeing an increase in offer sheet activity, specifically Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson signing a five-year, $90 million agreement with the Philadelphia Flyers this summer, the Capitals want to make sure they get their business done before either of those two can talk to other teams or get offer sheets.
Leonard ranked eighth in Calder Trophy voting after finishing fifth in overall rookie scoring with 45 points (20g, 25a) in 75 games. He also became just the eighth Capitals rookie to ever score 20 goals in a season, and the first since Alex Ovechkin did so in 2005-06. Leonard’s 45 points as a rookie ranked 10th all-time in Capitals franchise history.
“Yeah, we’ve had some discussions this summer,” Patrick told Gulitti. “I’m hopeful we can continue to have some discussions here. That’s not something that I want to let play out. I’d rather get something done if we can, if it makes sense for both sides, because I do think what happened this past summer is definitely potentially a harbinger of things to come in the league. I’d like to have something done sooner than later with him if it works for their side.”
Sourdif finished tied for eighth in rookie scoring with 35 points (15g, 20a) in 78 games. The 24-year-old forward began the season as a winger on the team’s fourth line and ended the year as one of their most dependable centers, a role he is expected to receive again from head coach Spencer Carbery during the 2026-27 campaign.
“I think my M.O. going forward really is if you have guys that are going to be restricted free agents that could potentially get offer sheets, you want to get in front of it as much as you can, as much as you feel comfortable doing that,” Patrick said.
Beyond the fear of impending offer sheets, this summer is also the last time NHL teams can ink a player to an eight-year contract, as the extended CBA, which kicks in on September 16, 2026, includes a maximum limit of seven years on player contracts. The Capitals would likely explore a deal of that kind with Leonard, their 2023 first-round pick.
However, Patrick is unsure if the two parties will be able to agree to a contract before then.
“I don’t know now,” he said. “If it made sense, I’d do it tomorrow. We just have to get to that point.”
The NHL’s salary cap is expected to reach $123 million by the 2028-29 season — a $19 million increase from this summer — so the Capitals will have the room to afford both players despite making some salary commitments to big names like Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner. According to PuckPedia, the Caps are projected to have over $40 million in cap space again by the end of the 2027-28 season.
