Ryan Leonard
Leonard is a 21-year-old depth-line right wing on a deep Capitals forward group, with a power-play role that sources disagree on, and the contract extension he signed on September 15 does not guarantee a bigger role.
Role
Daily Faceoff's Capitals page (fetched Oct 26, last updated Oct 25 from the Oct 24 game vs. Buffalo) puts him in the last right-wing slot, which is the fourth line. The page's grid is hard to parse, so his linemates are probably Boone Jenner and Justin Sourdif but I could not confirm that. That page has him on the second power-play unit with Ilya Protas, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Tuch and Cole Hutson. Other sources differ. Inside the Rink (Oct 20) had him with Anthony Beauvillier and Jonny Brodzinski on the fourth line, and it had him on the first power-play unit with Wilson, Strome, Ovechkin and Chychrun. Morning Puck's expected lines for Oct 24 also had him on the third line's right wing. Frozen Pool's Oct 13 Carolina game shows a Jenner-Kyrou-Leonard trio at 6:08 of even-strength time. Inside the Rink noted that he scored on two shots in 13:23 in the Oct 18 game against New Jersey. I found no season ice-time average. Competition for his spot comes from Kyrou, Tom Wilson, Tuch, Miroshnichenko, Beauvillier and Sourdif.
The underlying numbers are good. Inside the Rink, citing Box Score Junkie, had him at 54.4% Corsi-for and 67.9 shot attempts per 60 over 110 minutes this season, with three goals on 2.4 expected. He has also held a power-play role in some form: last season's 2 power-play points came in 10 games, and some current sources have him on the first unit. Last season he put up 8 points and 24 shots in 10 games. He is 21, has just signed an eight-year, $84 million extension, and the team clearly regards him as a core player.
The forward group is one of the deepest in the league, according to Daily Faceoff's team preview. With Tuch, Kyrou, Wilson, Ovechkin, Strome and Dubois ahead of him, he is stuck on the fourth line in the most recent lineups I found, and his even-strength minutes look limited. The latest Daily Faceoff page (Oct 25) has him on the second power-play unit, not the first. His one power-play role is therefore the least secure part of his usage.
Where analysts split
The disagreement is over whether he holds a first power-play spot. Inside the Rink (Oct 20) and 5v5 Hockey (Oct 20) had him on the first unit with Wilson, Strome, Ovechkin and Chychrun. Daily Faceoff's Oct 25 page has him on the second unit. A smaller question is whether he stays on the fourth line or moves up. I found no analyst commentary arguing either side.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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