Ryan Leonard Signs Eight-Year Extension With Capitals

Washington have tied down Ryan Leonard for eight years. The forward's new deal runs to 84 million dollars, with a cap hit of 10.5 million, matching Alex Tuch as the highest-paid player on the Capitals' books. It kicks in from the 2027/28 season, so Leonard sees out his existing contract first.

He is 21, picked by Washington eighth overall in the 2023 draft, and made his NHL debut at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. Last season he put up 45 points — 20 goals and 25 assists — in 75 games, the eighth rookie in club history to reach that mark.

The timing says something about where the Capitals are right now. They sit ninth in the league table with no points from their opening 82 matches, and locking in a 21-year-old through the next decade points to a rebuild built around younger legs rather than a quick fix at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin, still the face of the franchise, left for the United States on 10 September to begin preparations for his 22nd NHL season, with Washington opening away at Carolina on 3 October.