Capitals Can’t Afford to Sleep on Ryan Leonard’s Clock

Washington has a very specific kind of summer problem, and it starts with Ryan Leonard’s next contract. The Capitals are staring at the NHL’s current CBA terms and trying to squeeze value out of a window that does not stay open forever. That kind of cap timing matters even more when a young player’s leverage starts to rise and the front office wants to get ahead of the bill. If the Caps want to maximize the deal, this is the summer to do it before the math gets less friendly.