Capitals sign Ryan Leonard to eight-year, $84-million extension

Ryan Leonard has put pen to paper on a new deal with the Washington Capitals .

The 2023 eighth overall pick has agreed to an eight-year, $84-million extension, the Capitals announced on Tuesday. The new deal carries an AAV of $10.5 million.

Leonard, 21, is coming off a strong first full NHL season, as he finished with 20 goals and 25 assists through 75 appearances. He ranked eighth on the Capitals in points and fifth in goals.

Leonard was just the eighth rookie in franchise history to record a 20-goal season and first to do so since the iconic Alex Ovechkin in 2005-06. His 45 points were also the most by a Capitals rookie since Nicklas Backstrom in 2007-08.

“We are extremely excited to sign Ryan to a long-term contract with our club,” Capitals GM Chris Patrick said in a statement. “Ryan is a young and talented player who is still years away from entering his prime, and we believe he has tremendous potential to continue growing into an important player for our organization. While reaching his full potential will take time, we have been impressed with his work ethic and the way he continues to develop his game. We are confident in Ryan’s ability to continue improving as a hockey player, and we believe this agreement provides him with the opportunity to grow and develop within our organization while giving us the ability to keep a talented young player in our lineup for years to come.”

The deal comes before the new CBA between the NHL and NHLPA kicks in on Wednesday, which lowers the maximum term on a contract to seven years for a re-signing player and six years for a player changing teams in free agency.