The Washington Capitals are hoping to avoid any offer sheet scenarios for two of their key young forwards in Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif, according to general manager Chris Patrick.
Patrick told NHL.com on Tuesday that Washington is interested in getting ahead of contracts with both Leonard and Sourdif, who will become restricted free agents at the end of the upcoming season when their respective contracts expire.
The urgency comes after Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson signed an expensive offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason. The Ducks ultimately matched that offer sheet, and he's now the highest paid player in the NHL with an AAV of $18 million.
The Capitals are already in talks with Leonard and Sourdif, according to Patrick, and hope to have a deal as soon as possible.
"I'm hopeful we can continue to have some discussions here. That's not something that I want to let play out," Patrick told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. " I'd rather get something done if we can, if it makes sense for both sides because I do think what happened this past summer is definitely potentially a harbinger of things to come in the League.
"I think my M.O. going forward really is if you have guys that are going to be restricted free agents that could potentially get offer sheets, you want to get in front of it as much as you can, as much as you feel comfortable doing that," he dedda. "So, with Justin, we've had some conversations as well and we'll see where it goes.
Leonard is coming off a standout rookie campaign where, despite missing some time due to injury, he hit the 20-goal mark and added 25 assists for 45 points in 75 games. He was one of D.C.'s leading scorers down the stretch and also sparked the power play, which is undergoing change and is expected to rebound this season under new hire Ray Bennett, and is seen as a vital piece of the team's future.
Sourdif, meanwhile, also shined in his rookie year following his trade to Washington. Though he started on the fourth line wing, he quickly earned more responsibility and ultimately ended up playing a good portion of the season as the team's second-line center with Pierre-Luc Dubois hurt. He appeared in 78 games for the Capitals, picking up 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points.
