Capitals GM Chris Patrick Explains Trade & Price For Justin Sourdif, Where He Fits Into Team's Plans For Coming Years
The Capitals see a lot of promise in Justin Sourdif.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — This offseason wasn’t the first time that Justin Sourdif was on the Washington Capitals’ radar.
In fact, the Capitals had tried to trade for him a handful of times, but those talks with the Florida Panthers never really went anywhere significant.
“He’s a guy we’ve liked for a few years,” general manager Chris Patrick said.
So, with the 2025 NHL Draft looming, Washington reached out again regarding Sourdif, and this time, faced some significant competition for the 23-year-old forward’s services.
“They had a bunch of people calling on him, so it got to be a competitive situation… we had to decide, ‘Do we want the guy, are we willing to pay up for it, or do we want to take a backseat?’” Patrick said.
Ultimately, the Capitals saw the upside in Sourdif, a Calder Cup finalist who appears ready for the NHL level but just hasn’t gotten the opportunity due to Florida’s roster depth. So, they offered up the asking price: a second-round pick, and added an additional sixth-round pick as a sweetener, with other teams offering second-rounders that were higher.
“It felt like these are the kind of deals that we’ve had success with in the past,” Patrick explained, adding, “We view it as a similar-type deal (to the Rasmus Sandin trade) where we’re getting that young guy that might be in our organization for a lot of years and we think could be a really key contributor to our team moving forward, kind of that next wave of younger players.”
Washington expects Sourdif, who has four games of NHL experience but has tremendous upside and is known for his quick hands, hockey IQ and dangerous shot, to be in the NHL full-time this upcoming season and to play either center or wing while adding skill to the bottom six.
“We see a guy that’s competitive, smart… as far as his role with us, he gives (coach Spencer Carbery) options,” Patrick said. “He can try him at center, but I think he’s going to have a good chance here to prove that he’s a good NHL player.”