The Washington Capitals have released Brendan Leipsic.
The news comes as 75 percent of Capitals fans polled say they wanted Leipsic gone.
The Washington Capitals have placed Brendan Leipsic on unconditional waivers for purposes of terminating his contract.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) May 8, 2020
The Athletic’s Tarik El Bashir was the first to report the news.
The #Caps will terminate the contract of Brendan Leipsic today, sources tell me. @TheAthleticDC
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) May 8, 2020
According to Cap Friendly, Leipsic loses his RFA arbitration status and will be an unrestricted free agent when the season begins.
From a cap perspective, today's news has little or no impact on the #Capitals 2019-20 salary cap. Even if the regular season were to resume in the coming months, it's unlikely that there will be any cap counting based on what we've been told. https://t.co/NbFfM9JKjA
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 8, 2020
Leipsic's contract termination at this time simply means that he will not be with the club if the season were to resume, and he immediately becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent rather than retaining his RFA Arb status had the #Capitals extended him a Qualifying Offer in June.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 8, 2020
Leipsic was exposed making hateful and misogynistic comments in an Instagram group chat with friends, including his brother Jeremy, Florida Panthers prospect Jack Rodewald, and others. Leipsic chastised women about their weight and appearance and also insulted his teammates.
The Capitals forward deleted his Instagram and released a poor apology on Twitter later in the night.
Jeremy Leipsic was kicked off the University of Manitoba’s men’s hockey team on Thursday due to his role in the group chat.
The NHL promised to “address this inexcusable conduct with the clubs and players involved” in a release. Previously, the Capitals said they would handle Leipsic’s “unacceptable and offensive comments” internally.
This article has been updated since publication.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
