Capitals' Ryan Leonard Suffers Long-Term Injury After Nasty Hit

The Washington Capitals have looked every bit like a juggernaut this season. Alex Ovechkin’s nightly march toward 1,000 goals has turned each game into a celebration, and the team around him has matched that energy with some of their best hockey in years.

Washington recently jumped ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes to take first place in the Metro Division, and they now have the best record in the entire Eastern Conference. Their +27 goal differential trails only the absurd +50 posted by the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, and they’re also tied with the Dallas Stars for the second-most goals scored in the league, also behind Colorado.

This is a team firing on all cylinders, playing confident, structured, high-powered hockey. But in their recent 4–3 loss to the resurgent Anaheim Ducks, the mood shifted sharply — and painfully.

A Nasty Collision With the Trouba Train

Just one game earlier, Washington made NHL history. In a 7–1 win over the Sharks, the Caps became the first team ever to get multi-goal games from a player 40 or older (Ovechkin) and a player 20 or younger (Ryan Leonard). Leonard, coming off a career-best four-point night, looked like a rookie stepping into stardom. Then came the hit.

The @Capitals are the first team in NHL history to get multi-goal games from a player 40 or older (Alex Ovechkin) and a player 20 or younger (Ryan Leonard) in the same game. pic.twitter.com/NCEglisRcg
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 4, 2025

In the first period against Anaheim, Leonard curled around the net and took a blindside hit to the head from Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba. Even though Leonard was coming in a little low with a slightly piked body position, the contact was forceful, high, and targeted a part of the body that shouldn’t be the initial point of contact on a hit.

This was the type of old-school, predatory hit the league has spent years trying to eliminate. Shockingly, no penalty was called. Leonard stayed down, left the game with an upper-body injury, and the Capitals were forced to finish with 11 forwards.

After the hit, Tom Wilson tried twice in the second period to get Trouba to answer for the hit, but the veteran defenseman wanted no part of it.

Ryan Leonard leaves for the dressing room after taking a blindside hit from Jacob Trouba. pic.twitter.com/UACbHsY1Zw
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 6, 2025

Spencer Carbery Calls Out Trouba's Hit

After the game, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery was visibly upset when speaking to reporters. To him, the issue wasn’t just the force of the hit — it was the intent and the vulnerability of the player being targeted.

“The thing I don’t like about the hit, so there’s big hits, and guys get hurt. What I don’t like about that specific hit is that he’s engaged with another player. When Leno’s engaged with — I think it was Gudas behind the net, or whoever he was engaged with — as he was going around the net. So he’s being checked. So to me, that’s now a player looking for someone that’s in a vulnerable spot. And I think those are dicey hits."

It was clear Carbery viewed it as unnecessary, avoidable, and exactly the kind of play the modern NHL has tried to remove from the game.

Leonard Out Long Term in Breakout Season

Carbery later confirmed the worst: Ryan Leonard will miss “an extended period of time.” It’s a brutal setback for a rookie who was having a tremendous season — 7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points in 29 games — and was becoming one of Washington’s most reliable young contributors.

Nov 19, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Ryan Leonard (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In response, the Capitals recalled winger Bogdan Trineyev and goaltender Clay Stevenson from AHL Hershey, while placing Leonard and goalie Charlie Lindgren on Injured Reserve.

For a Capitals team with hopes of winning the Presidents’ Trophy, this is the kind of loss that stings on multiple levels — a young star sidelined, no supplemental discipline issued, and a mood shift after weeks of dominance. Still, given how Washington has played all season, it wouldn’t be wise to count them out. When Leonard returns, the Caps will be waiting — still dangerous and still chasing something bigger.

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