Capitals sign Justin Sourdif to eight-year extension
The Washington Capitals and right winger Justin Sourdif met the deadline.
Just hours before eight-year contracts became impossible under the new CBA, the Capitals and Sourdif put pen to paper on an eight-year, $50.8 million deal with an average annual value of $6.35 million through the 2034-35 season.
If the two parties had not reached an agreement by Tuesday’s CBA deadline, the maximum possible extension with the Capitals would have been a seven-year deal, while a six-year deal with another team could have presented itself in free agency.
Instead, the Capitals can see value in a useful player in his prime, and Sourdif earns security with a deal that keeps the 24-year-old under contract until he is 33. His new contract comes just hours after the Capitals agreed to a similar deal with right winger Ryan Leonard, who inked an eight-year, $84 million deal earlier in the day.
Both deals take effect in 2027-28, with Sourdif seeing out the final year of his current two-year, $1.65 million deal through 2026-27.
A native of Richmond, B.C., Sourdif scored 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 78 games with the Capitals this season, having joined the team after playing four games over two years with the Florida Panthers, who selected him 87th overall in the third round of the NHL Draft.
“Justin is a good young forward who has continued to develop steadily throughout his career. He is versatile and demonstrated his ability to play an important forward role for our team whenever the opportunity arose last season,” said Capitals senior vice president and general manager, Chris Patrick.
“We are thrilled to sign him to a long-term contract and look forward to seeing him continue to elevate his game alongside our veteran core and our young group of players. 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.”
The Capitals, with Leonard and Sourdif now locked into their futures, look ahead to their preseason opener against the Boston Bruins on Sept. 20, kicking off a four-game exhibition schedule ahead of their season-opening matchup with the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 2.
