What The Capitals Expect From Ryan Leonard This Coming Season: 'He Has A Grasp On What He Needs To Do To Get Him On The Trajectory Of Being Elite'
The Washington Capitals were encouraged by what they saw from Ryan Leonard in his short stint with the team to end the season. What will they see in 2025-26?
ARLINGTON, V.A. — For Ryan Leonard, his transition from college to the pros happened — quite literally — overnight after joining the Washington Capitals ahead of their playoff run.
That’s why, when it comes down to how the stat line looked following his short stint with D.C. at the end of the season, coach Spencer Carbery wasn’t expecting all too much.
“Who expected him to score? Because that wasn’t my expectation at all,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “I had no preconceived notions or fantasies that Ryan Leonard was going to come in and dominate the National Hockey League at this type of year.”
Leonard had one empty net goal through nine regular season games with the Capitals before putting up one assist through eight playoff outings, and Washington was encouraged by what it saw from the 20-year-old.
“I thought Ryan did a great job. Very unique situation where you don’t usually have a guy that young jumping into your team at that point in the season, but usually when you do, they’ve been through a couple training camps. They’ve had maybe three or four exhibition games against at least some NHLers, and he had none of that. It’s like starting from not even at square one,” general manager Chris Patrick said. “He did a great job just putting his head down trying to learn, trying to get comfortable with the system, comfortable with the players, comfortable with the DC area. I think it will be a huge help for him going into next year.”
As Leonard enters what will officially mark his rookie season in the NHL, the Capitals are looking forward to seeing what he can do with some previous experience under his belt, along with a full summer of training and a legitimate NHL training camp experience.
“He now has a crystal clear vision of what it feels like to play in the most difficult times of the year against arguably the hardest team to play against… He felt that, and that experience cannot be replaced,” Carbery noted, adding, “Him going and truly having a grasp on the things he needs to do and work on to get himself not (only) up to speed, but get him on the trajectory of being an elite player in the NHL... will be extremely valuable.”
When it comes to Leonard’s role, he’s pegged to slot in on the middle-6, as he’s fit in well in a third-line role since arriving in D.C. However, with more vacancies up front and the team needing more secondary scoring, he could look to compete for more ice time.
“He’s going to be a very good player for a long time. I have no doubt about that,” linemate Lars Eller, who signed with the Ottawa Senators this summer, said. “Good kid, good attitude as well.”
That being said, Carbery is treating him as he would any other prospect to help him develop properly, and ultimately, he doesn’t care how much time it takes for Leonard to reach his potential.
“Young guys are at the forefront of that, of making sure that every day, they’re getting the necessary attention and communication of what they need to do to just continually improve, and they will,” Carbery said. “That’s why a lot of players we bring in are such quality people, because they want to put in that work on a daily basis. Sooner or later, you see growth.”