Capitals’ Sourdif Gets Promotion to Second-Line Center

Connor McMichael had a career year in 2024-25 after being moved from the wing to center, putting up 26 goals and 57 points and an impressive plus-19 rating. After a slow start this season (two goals and five assists), he’s been put back on the wing. Most recently, he’s been playing on the top line with Strome and Alex Ovechkin in an attempt to spark his offensive game. 

Meanwhile, Sourdif has been impressing the coaching staff since training camp. His speed and compete level are strong, and he’s stood out even in the limited minutes he’s seen so far this season. 

“He plays with a ton of pace, straight line, and you see he gets into a couple really good situations… That’s something that I’m looking at,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “Each day, he’s more comfortable in and around the rink.”

Sourdif Gets a Battlefield Promotion

Sourdif, who played center for most of his amateur career, got the promotion midway through the Capitals’ game against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 13. He began the game centering the third line but was moved up to the second late in the first period. In the third, he was rewarded with his second goal of the season. Although the Capitals lost the game, the second line held the Panthers to zero even-strength shots.

“I think early in the game, he was going,” Carbery said of Sourdif. “You could tell from his first shift. But credit to him, I see an opportunity to play him with those two guys (Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas). We needed a little bit of a spark. He goes up there and was fantastic.”

Against the Kings on Nov. 17, Carbery showed his trust in the young center by leaving his line on the ice for a critical defensive zone draw with two minutes remaining in the third period, and the Kings trailing by a goal. Sourdif lost the draw to Anze Kopitar, but his line managed to get the puck out of the zone.

Sourdif’s Path to the NHL

Sourdif was selected in the third round, 87th overall, by the Panthers in the 2020 NHL Draft. A British Columbian by birth, he played in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Vancouver Giants, serving as the team’s captain in his final season of junior. He was sent to the Edmonton Oil Kings at the trade deadline, and with 14 points in 19 playoff games, he helped the Oil Kings claim a WHL championship. 

In Sept. 2021, the Panthers signed him to a three-year entry-level contract. At training camp in 2023-24, he impressed the coaches and was the last player cut from the roster. He began the next season, 2024-25, on the injured reserve list with an undisclosed upper-body injury and was reassigned to Charlotte. He played only one game for the Panthers that season, registering a goal against the New Jersey Devils. For Sourdif, cracking the Stanley Cup champion Panthers’ roster was a tall task. 

“He’s a guy we’ve liked for a few years,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. “We’ve tried to get him a couple of times from Florida … in Florida, it was a situation where he was getting boxed out a little bit. They had a bunch of people calling on him, so it became a competitive situation.” 

In his scouting report before the 2020 Draft, The Hockey Writers’ Matthew Zator wrote, “When you watch Justin Sourdif play, the first things you notice are his relentless work ethic, hockey IQ, and 200-foot game. Combine that with his penchant for driving the net and planting himself there no matter the consequences, you get a forward that could one day become an impact player in the NHL.”

An Opportunity that Sourdif Needs to “Run With” 

The Capitals’ struggle to find a reliable center for their second and third lines has provided an excellent opportunity for Sourdif to establish himself as an NHL regular. If he can prove himself to be dependable and consistent, continuing to earn Carbery’s trust, he could solidify his place on the roster, even after Dubois returns in a few months. 

Sourdif is not going to produce overwhelming offensive numbers, but he will be a boost to a line with players who do, namely Wilson and Protas. If he plays his game, which is built on speed, pursuing the puck, and working his tail off, he won’t have to worry about his offensive statistics. For the time being, his coach is pleased with his efforts and is happy to give him a chance to succeed. 

“Sometimes it’s weird, and I’m not trying to foreshadow anything or predict anything where this goes, but it’s what players crave a lot, right? Young players?” Carbery said after Sourdif’s game against Florida. “Is, ‘Just give me an opportunity, coach. Give me an opportunity to play power play, to play a game, to play top six. Give me an opportunity.’ And so part of it, it’s my job to give that opportunity when I see fit, or when it feels like, to me, it’s earned. And then their job is to run with that opportunity. And that’s what he did that night, so he’ll get another opportunity to run with that tonight as well.”