The Washington Capitals announced today that forward Brett Leason has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
The move opens a roster spot for the Capitals, a notable development as the team has three forwards on IR who would need to be activated before they can return to the lineup: Tom Wilson, Justin Sourdif, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois is expected to be out long-term, but Wilson or Sourdif could return on a shorter timeline.
The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson wrote that Leason’s reassignment is a “good indication” that Wilson “is getting close to returning,” perhaps as soon as Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
While Wilson’s impending return is undoubtedly good news for the Capitals — the 31-year-old has scored 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season, and was named to Canada’s Olympic roster — it’s more difficult news for Leason, whose most recent stint in the NHL has now concluded.
Leason, 26, was recalled on Jan. 7 and ended up playing in six games for the Capitals. While he wasn’t able to land on the scoresheet, his size and heft (he stands 6’5″, 220 pounds) earned him a small amount of power play time in three separate contests.
It’s not the most common occurrence for bottom-six call-ups to get any look on an NHL power play, so Leason at the very least got a more significant opportunity than many other players in similar situations.
In total, Leason averaged 8:34 time on ice per game, registering 10 hits in six games, but just one shot on goal. Washington went 2-4-0 with Leason in the lineup. He’ll now return to Hershey, the team where he made his professional debut as a second-round pick in 2019-20.
Leason has scored a healthy 14 points in 20 games for the Bears, a solid scoring rate and one to be expected for a player who has mostly played in the NHL over the last few years. Washington lost Leason on waivers to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022, and Leason went on to skate in 184 NHL games for the Ducks.
The Ducks non-tendered Leason after he scored 17 points in 62 games last season, leading to the player’s return to the Capitals organization. Leason signed with Washington on Oct. 27 after spending the preseason on a PTO with the Minnesota Wild and a brief stint on an AHL PTO with the Charlotte Checkers.
This year is a significant one for the pending UFA, especially from a financial perspective. While he made $1.05MM on his most recent Ducks contract, the deal he signed with the Capitals after being non-tendered not a one-way contract. Leason’s one-year, two-way deal carries a $775K NHL salary and a $250K AHL salary. Undoubtedly, Leason will want to continue his level of production for the Bears in order to earn as many recalls back to Washington as possible this season.
Not only will recalls back to the NHL hold an immediate financial benefit, but the more time he can spend in the NHL, the better-positioned he’ll be to get back to a one-way contract as a free agent in the summer.