Just How Good Has Justin Sourdif Been For The Capitals? Here's A Closer Look

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Wanting to get to know Justin Sourdif better, Spencer Carbery met with the rookie ahead of Washington Capitals training camp, wanting to know more about his game and where he felt more comfortable. And to Carbery's surprise, it was down the middle.

Fast forward to now, and the center role is where Sourdif has thrived for Washington, meeting and evne exceeding expectations from when they traded for him over the offseason.

"I said, 'If you had to pick one position in the NHL that you feel like best suits your skillset, where you're going to be most successful...' his answer was center," Carbery revealed.

Though Sourdif on the wing, playing on a hard-checking fourth line with Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd, he got his opportunity to show what he can do at center when Pierre-Luc Dubois went down with injury and the team needed a spark.

He ran with that chance, and hasn't disappointed since.

Over the last 20 games since the start of November, Sourdif sits second among all Capitals forwards in shots-for percentage (58.27) at all strengths, and at 5-on-5, ranks fourth in Corsi-for percentage (53.17), fifth in expected goals-for percentage (52.75) and second in scoring-chances for percentage (54.58, minimum four games played).

"I think I just review a lot of stuff from the games before, certain things I need to tweak, I make adjustment, small little details in the game," Sourdif said of feeling more comfortable each game. "The guys are so encouraging on the bench, it's really good. I'm gaining a lot of confidence from that, playing with lots of speed, playing for pucks and trying not to overthink everything." 

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Another key part of his success as a center has come in the face-off dot. Sourdif has won 93 draws at 5-on-5 since taking over at center, with only Dylan Strome winning more. He's also been pitted against other team's top centermen, including the likes of Connor McDavid and Anze Kopitar, and has handled those matchups with aplomb.

"It's not easy to take draws in the National Hockey League at all, especially when you're going up against really good centermen (with) some of the matchups he's been getting," Carbery explained, adding, "He's very intuitive. When I watch him do draws and work with our coaches in the face-off circle, he's dialed in on the technique, what he needs to do, putting my stick here, all the different nuances of taking draws."

Overall, it's been a big step forward for Sourdif, who is in the midst of an impressive rookie year after spending the last three seasons on the fringe and spending a majority of his time in the AHL.

Ultimately for Sourdif, it was for the best, and it's paid off to get him to this point.

"I think I needed to spend the time i did in the American League, I don't think I was quite where I wanted to be yet and I was able to grow a lot," Sourdif said. "I felt like this year I was able to come step in and hopefully help out the guys and contribute a bit. I'm just trying to work as hard as I can every day to help the team win."