Ryan Leonard scored the game-winning goal in the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. But Leonard is seemingly getting more attention on social media for a shot he rang off the crossbar earlier in the night.
The Capitals’ rookie forward employed a toe drag release, a shot technique becoming increasingly popular among younger, highly-skilled players. The move allowed Leonard to use Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn as a screen and change the angle of his shot, fooling Kraken goaltender Matt Murray just enough to beat him past the glove.
“Look at that shot,” Monumental Sports Network’s Craig Laughlin said. “That is deceptive. That is hard to pick up.”
Leonard’s tricky release and heavy, accurate shot is one of the many tools he owns that make his NHL future so bright. Capitals defense prospect Ryan Chesley called Leonard’s shot “elite” and “NHL ready” during the team’s 2023 Development Camp.
“He dis-formed my glove on his first shot,” goaltender Chase Clark said in July 2023. “It’s definitely one of the hardest shots I have ever faced. The way Ryan shoots makes it hard to track the puck with how fast his release is and how he changes the angle.”
“It’s tough,” added Chesley, a former USNTDP teammate of Leonard’s. “He can kind of release it from anywhere on the ice and it’s tough to defend.”
The toe drag release Leonard used on Tuesday is most famously employed by Chicago Blackhawks forward and 2023 first-overall pick, Connor Bedard, who has created many highlights over the years with the move.
The extra movement with the puck can freeze a goalie, opening up more space at the net.
“It’s impressive,” Bedard’s teammate Nick Foligno said in 2023 to the NHL Network. “I know it fools our goalies, and it’s a matter of time before [it] fools a lot of others in this league.”
And now, you could say the same for Leonard as well.
