The Capitals have signed winger Justin Sourdif to a two-year deal worth $1.65MM, the team announced Saturday. It’ll carry a cap hit of $825K. The team didn’t specify whether it’s a one-way or two-way contract, but PuckPedia confirms it’s the former. He’ll earn an $800K salary in 2025-26 and an $850K salary in 2026-27.
Washington acquired Sourdif, who was set to become a restricted free agent next Tuesday, from the Panthers on Thursday in exchange for a pair of draft picks, including a 2026 second-round selection. The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Florida in 2020 and was wrapping up his entry-level contract.
Sourdif’s $825K cap hit is lower than the NHL salary he would have earned by accepting his qualifying offer, which would have been $874,125. That QO would have been a two-way contract, though, and only for one year. By taking this contract, he lands an exponentially higher salary guarantee along with an extra year of insurance.
With contract business now in the rearview, Sourdif turns his attention toward cracking Washington’s opening night roster in the fall. He’s got a good chance of doing so. If the Capitals wanted to assign him to AHL Hershey, he’d need to clear waivers. That’s not a risk they’d presumably be willing to take given the acquisition cost they paid.
Sourdif has spent the vast majority of his three professional seasons with AHL Charlotte, where the 5’11” sniper has a 35-61–96 scoring line in 149 career games. That includes 16 goals and 34 points in 48 games this past season, his best points-per-game total in the pros by far. He’s also landed four NHL appearances with Florida over the last two seasons, including one in 2024-25 against the Predators in February. That game saw him record his first NHL goal.
He joins a group of depth forwards vying for bottom-six roster spots in Washington that includes Ethen Frank, Hendrix Lapierre, and Ivan Miroshnichenko. If there needs to be an odd man out, it’ll presumably be Miroshnichenko. While a first-round pick in 2022 who’s still on a good development track, he’s the only waiver-exempt one of the group.
Not a two way contract. Ugh.. They’ll need to put him in Hershey to get playing time. Why give up a 2nd and not get this flexibility at back end. Double headed trouble.