Washington Capitals forward Brendan Leipsic found himself in hot water on Wednesday after screenshots from a group chat on Instagram became public. In those messages, Leipsic made what the NHL called "misogynistic and reprehensible" comments about current teammates, their wives, and pregnant women.
On Friday, the Capitals announced that Leipsic's contract would be terminated and he will become a free agent.
The Washington Capitals have placed Brendan Leipsic on unconditional waivers for purposes of terminating his contract.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) May 8, 2020
Washington was made aware of his comments a short time after they were leaked.
"We are aware of the unacceptable and offensive comments made by Brendan Leipsic in a private conversation on social media," the team said in a statement. "We will handle this matter internally."
Among those Leipsic insulted were Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews and Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Pearson. Leipsic did take to social media to apologize for his actions on Wednesday.
Leipsic also deleted his Instagram account once his direct messages were made public.
Leipsic signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Capitals last summer. Prior to that, the journeyman forward spent time with the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, Canucks, and Maple Leafs. Leipsic was originally selected in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, but was traded before ever suiting up for the club.
