Capitals’ Ryan Leonard to miss ‘extended period of time’
The Washington Capitals will be without one of their young forwards for a stretch of games, as the team announced Sunday morning that forward Ryan Leonard has been placed on injured reserve.
The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Bogdan Trineyev and goaltender Clay Stevenson from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). In addition, the Capitals have placed forward Ryan Leonard and goaltender Charlie Lindgren on Injured Reserve (IR). pic.twitter.com/5H0oGzubVL
— Capitals PR (@CapitalsPR) December 7, 2025The Capitals also placed goaltender Charlie Lindgren on IR, while announcing that forward Bogdan Trineyev and goaltender Clay Stevenson have been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
Leonard left Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in the first period after taking a hit from Ducks’ defenseman Jacob Trouba behind the Anaheim net. He did not return.
Trouba with a MONSTER hit on Ryan Leonard who left the ice for repairs 😳 pic.twitter.com/7smXGucakm
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 6, 2025Washington forward Tom Wilson told reporters after Friday’s game that he asked Trouba to fight after the hit and he said no.
“(Trouba) knew exactly what he’s doing, and the kid’s in a vulnerble spot,” he said.
On Sunday, Capitals’ head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters that Leonard is speaking with doctors and will miss an “extended period of time,” according to Washington Post reporter Bailey Johnson.
Ryan Leonard is seeing the doctors today but will miss an “extended period of time,” Spencer Carbery just said
— Bailey Johnson (@BaileyAJohnson_) December 7, 2025This season, Leonard has seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points, averaging 13:20 of ice time in 29 games. The Northhampton, Mass., native has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 38 career regular-season games.
Leonard, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Capitals last March after his 2024-25 season with Boston College ended. He immediately joined the lineup and scored a goal in nine regular-season games, then recorded one assist in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games.
In two seasons at Boston College, Leonard scored 61 goals and 48 assists for 109 points and 84 penalty minutes in 78 NCAA games. He was a top-10 finalist for the 2025 Hobey Baker Award.
He also spent parts of two USHL seasons with the U.S. National Development Team, where he recorded 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points in 50 games.
Internationally, Leonard won gold twice at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships. In his second appearance, he was named tournament MVP, when he scored five goals and five assists for 10 points.
The Capitals are 17-9-3 with 37 points through their first 29 games of the 2025-26 season, which ranks first in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.