With free agency looming Tuesday, 2025 Draft weekend wasn’t quite as eventful as last year for the Washington Capitals. In 2024, they picked up Logan Thompson, who signed autographs at the Sphere while saying goodbye to the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the team made a move this year that also showed some urgency to improve.
Washington made a pair of moves over the last few days, picking up both a depth forward and defenseman over the past couple of days to bolster the roster, and perhaps set up some further moves as July looms.
Most evident in that was the acquisition of right wing Justin Sourdif from Florida on Thursday. While Sourdif played just four games with the Panthers over the past two seasons, injuries limited his time in Florida.
However, he played an important role in getting the Charlotte Checkers to the Calder Cup Finals. He was limited to just 43 games with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate but recorded 16 goals and 18 assists in that time. Additionally, he was a key performer in the playoffs. He finished third on the roster with four goals and 10 assists in 18 postseason games and a pair of game-winners, also with four points coming in the Calder final.
Two-year contract for Sourdif
Washington took care of Sourdif’s RFA status Saturday, inking him to a two-year deal worth $825,000 each season. Essentially, Washington converted their 2026 second-round pick and a sixth-round pick in 2027 into an NHL-ready asset available for next season, and should the Capitals be as competitive as they hope to be, that second-round pick would come in the late 50s or low 60s. Even a best-case scenario that second-rounder probably doesn’t arrive in the nation’s capital until 2027 or 2028, so give the Capitals immediate depth rather than waiting to use the pick next June.
Sourdif actually technically also took a small pay cut from his $847,500 entry-level deal, with the Washington contract being a one-way deal guaranteeing him the full amount regardless of being at the NHL or AHL level.
While it was a high price to pay with a second-round pick, Sourdif is also just 23, and clearly the Capitals project him to make the 23-man roster next season since he would be eligible to be claimed off waivers should he be sent to Hershey – although the one-way deal would be more of a deterrent for claimants. With Florida deep at forward, clearly with him getting a new contract and less spots available, he was expendable for the Panthers. They dealt him to Washington, who saw him during the Checkers win over Hershey in the playoffs.
He plays a heavy, physical game and the 5-11, 181-pound forward will get a chance to crack Washington’s bottom six next season.
Capitals Also Acquire Chisholm
In their other depth acquisition, the Capitals also picked up another pending RFA’s rights during the draft on Saturday. Washington acquired Declan Chisholm from the Minnesota Wild along with a sixth-round pick for departing UFA Chase Priskie and a fourth-round pick.
Chisholm played 66 games with Minnesota last year, a career high, having spent 99 games with the Wild and Winnipeg Jets. Chisholm, 25, also notched two goals and 10 assists last season, including some power-play time.
The defenseman is coming off a one-year, $1 million contract, and will be due a raise after spending nearly a full season at the NHL level.
WIth Alex Alexeyev, the Capitals now have two defensemen who are RFAs, and should they sign both, they would have nine on their roster, meaning it’s pretty likely at least one defenseman under their control will get moved this summer.
In terms of the draft itself, Washington added five picks over the two-day event in Los Angeles, most notably being Lynden Lakovic, a forward for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, with size at 6-foot-4 and a heavy shot. With Boston’s second-round pick from the Dmitry Orlov deal in 2023, the Capitals took Milton Gastrin from Modo of the Swedish Elite League, who recorded 42 points in 40 games for the club’s junior squad.
Washington also selected forward Maxim Schafer in the third round from the Eisbaren Berlin’s junior team, forward Jackson Crowder from the USHL’s Chicago Steel with their fifth-round pick and with the sixth-round pick acquired in the Minnesota deal took defenseman Aron Dahlqvist from Byrnas in Sweden.
With free agency looming Tuesday, the Capitals figure to turn their attention to acquiring a Top 6 forward and perhaps another candidate for the Bottom 6 as well in what figures to be a competition for roster spots come September. With Sourdif’s contract added to the active roster, Washington has $8,550,000 available in cap space per PuckPedia.com, with just two spots to fill before any other transactions are made.
