Washington Capitals acquire Justin Sourdif from Florida Panthers

The Washington Capitals and the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers completed a trade on Friday, in which the Capitals dealt a 2026 second-round pick, and 2027 sixth-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for forward Justin Sourdif.

NEWS | The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers for Washington’s second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and Washington’s sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.#ALLCAPS | @Shift4

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 26, 2025

Sourdif, 23, was a 2020 third-round pick of Florida's, and last season appeared one game with the Panthers, scoring his first NHL goal. Sourdif spent the majority of last season with the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers, scoring 16 goals and 34 points in 43 games.

The Richmond, BC native could bring become a depth scoring option for the Capitals bottom-six next season, a team that's losing Andrew Mangiapane to free agency. The Panthers recoup some draft picks in the deal, and it's likely Panthers general manager Bill Zito will consider trading the second rounder at some point next season.

Keep an eye on the Capitals and the Panthers as they are two teams who are going to be awfully busy over the course of the next week. Zito had himself a busy Friday, acquiring goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Blue Jackets earlier in the day.

The Cup champs are laced with free agents, including Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad. Out of the trio, Bennett is the most likely to stay, and Marchand is the most likely to sign elsewhere. Talk about a short tenure that would be if Marchand joins the Panthers, wins a Stanley Cup, and then heads to the Maple Leafs? 

Photo credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images