The Washington Capitals got their deal done with the deadline looming, locking up Justin Sourdif on an eight-year extension worth $50.8 million.
The agreement carries an average annual value of $6.35 million and runs through the 2034-35 season. It also arrived just hours before the new CBA made eight-year contracts impossible, giving the Capitals and Sourdif a narrow window to finish the business.
Without that deal in place by Tuesday, the longest extension Washington could have offered would have been seven years. On the open market, a six-year contract with another team could have been on the table in free agency. Instead, the Capitals keep a player they view as useful in his prime, and Sourdif gets long-term security that takes him to age 33.
The new contract follows another major Capitals agreement from earlier in the day, when right winger Ryan Leonard signed an eight-year, $84 million deal. Both extensions begin in 2027-28, while Sourdif will play out the final season of his current two-year, $1.65 million contract through 2026-27.
Sourdif, a Richmond, B.C. native, delivered 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 78 games with Washington this season. Before that, he had appeared in four games over two years with the Florida Panthers, who drafted 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.”
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