Capitals acquire Justin Sourdif from Panthers for draft picks

On Thursday night, the Washington Capitals acquired forward Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers. In return, the Panthers are receiving a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 2027 sixth-round selection.

Both picks originally belonged to the Capitals.

The Capitals will be just the second organization Sourdif will be a part of. The Richmond, British Columbia native was taken by the Panthers in the third round, 87th overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft. After finishing up his junior hockey career, which saw him win the Chynoweth Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League, Sourdif joined the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, to start the 2022-23 campaign.

Although he has spent most of his professional career in the AHL, Sourdif played a few games with the Panthers, appearing in three games during the 2023-24 season and once this past season. In that one game on Feb. 25, the 23-year-old scored the first goal of his NHL career against the Nashville Predators.

Over the three seasons with the Checkers, Sourdif has proven to be an effective scorer. After posting a career-high 38 points in 58 games in 2023-24, he notched 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 43 games this year. His 0.79 points per game ranked second on the team among those who played over 20 games.

Sourdif was a key player during the playoffs, as the Checkers made it all the way to the Calder Cup Final, finishing third on the team with 10 points. Charlotte ultimately lost to the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks’ primary affiliate, in six games.

In 149 AHL appearances, Sourdif has scored 35 goals and 61 assists for 96 points, including 13 points in 27 postseason games.

Before his time in the pros, Sourdif had some experience on the international stage. Along with playing for Canada Red at the 2018 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, he represented Canada at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, taking home the silver medal. He was also part of the Canadian squad that participated in the first attempt at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was canceled due to COVID-19 issues.

As a result of the trade, the Capitals no longer have picks in the second round next year or the sixth round in 2027. Florida has two picks in the second round and sixth round in 2026 and 2027, respectively.