The Washington Capitals have made a big bet by inking young forward Ryan Leonard to an eight-year contract extension.
The Capitals announced on Tuesday that they have reached an agreement with the 21-year-old Leonard on an eight-year, $84 million contract extension that comes with a $10.5 million average annual value.
Capitals Statement on Ryan Leonard
In an official statement posted on the team’s website, Capitals general manager Chris Patrick offered the following comment about linking Leonard long-term.
“We are extremely excited to sign Ryan to a long-term contract with our club. 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. 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,” Patrick said.
Leonard still has one more year left on his ELC, so with this contract extension now inked, he will be under team control for the next nine seasons.
Capitals Like Ryan Leonard
The Capitals chose Leonard with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He only played in nine games in his first NHL season, getting a cup of coffee with the Capitals, but last year, he played in 75 games for Washington, scoring 20 goals and 45 points.
At just 21 years of age, Leonard has plenty of time to keep improving, and after a successful first full season in the NHL, the Capitals believe that he has every opportunity to become a top-line player for the team, which is why they gave him a big deal, locking him down for eight more years and committing to him as one of the core players in the years after captain Alex Ovechkin decides to retire.
Capitals Make Big Bet With Ryan Leonard Contract Extension