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Washington locked up Ryan Leonard for $84 million starting with the 2027-28 season. Averaging $10.5 million annually through 2035, he will join new Capitals teammate Alex Tuch, who also signed an eight-year sign-and-trade with Buffalo, to be the Capitals’ highest-paid player when Leonard’s deal kicks in.
“Ryan is a young and talented player who is still years away from entering his prime, and we believe he has tremendous potential to continue growing into an important player for our organization,” general manager Chris Patrick said in a statement announcing Leonard’s deal. “While reaching his full potential will take time, we have been impressed with his work ethic and the way he continues to develop his game. We are confident in Ryan’s ability to continue improving as a hockey player, and we believe this agreement provides him with the opportunity to grow and develop within our organization, while giving us the ability to keep a talented young player in our lineup for years to come.”
Leonard, who turns 22 next month, is set to enter his second full NHL campaign, after having made his debut last spring. The contract secures him to the future of the Capitals’ post-Alex Ovechkin core, which should include brothers Ilya and Aliaksei Protas.
Washington forward Justin Sourdif also locked in an eight-year deal before the deadline: $50.8 million for an annual cap hit of $6.35 million. Sourdif, 22, will turn 25 when his pact kicks in next summer.
“Justin is a good young forward who has continued to develop steadily throughout his career,” Patrick said. “He is versatile and demonstrated his ability to play an important forward role for our team whenever the opportunity arose last season…. We believe he has a bright future ahead of him and are confident that he will continue to make valuable contributions to our organization in the coming years.”
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/nhl-eight-year-contract-deadline-f4733aaf37c3169cbd0cef9ced2b2c0c
https://abcnews.com/Sports/wireStory/nhl-teams-rush-sign-players-year-contracts-new-136466604
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