Capitals terminating Leipsic's contract after messages leaked

The Washington Capitals have placed forward Brendan Leipsic on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, the team announced Friday.

Messages from an Instagram group chat containing inappropriate and misogynistic conversations between Leipsic and his friends were leaked to the public Wednesday. The Capitals deemed the messages "unacceptable and offensive."

Leipsic's brother Jeremy was also in the group chat. He played for the University of Manitoba men's hockey team but was released from the program Friday. Florida Panthers minor-leaguer Jack Rodewald was in the group chat as well.

Leipsic was in the final year of a deal paying him $700,000 annually. He was set to hit restricted free agency after the 2019-20 campaign.

The 25-year-old posted 11 points in 61 games with the Capitals this year while playing fourth-line minutes. He had stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings before joining Washington.

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