ARLINGTON, V.A. — To start the week, Ryan Leonard was sleeping in a twin-sized bed in his Boston College dorm room. Now, the Washington Capitals rookie has the entire third floor of Pierre-Luc Dubois' D.C. home to himself.
Leonard, who signed his entry-level contract with the Capitals on Monday, has been embraced by his new teammates, and with him needing a place to live, Dubois, who is in the midst of his first year in Washington, readily offered his house to the 20-year-old.
"He's awesome," Leonard said. "He's treated me with the most respect. Took me grocery shopping, just really trying to make me feel at home."
Leonard spent the off day on Thursday with Dubois, who took him around D.C. and gave him free roam of the entire third floor of the house, which for No. 9, is a major upgrade over the B.C. dorms. The two also watched the Boston Bruins take on the Montreal Canadiens.
"He doesn't want to force anything, he wants me to be comfortable. If I'm hungry or thirsty, just do whatever I need," Leonard said. "It's definitely a little bit of an adjustment and takes some time to get used to, but it's a lot of fun."
Leonard will play in his third NHL game on Friday when the Capitals play host to the Chicago Blackhawks.