Capitals place Leipsic on waivers, intend to terminate contract

Brendan Leipsic was placed on waivers by the Washington Capitals on Friday for the purpose of terminating his contract.

The move comes after degrading comments the 25-year-old forward made on social media surfaced this week.

"The National Hockey League strongly condemns the misogynistic and reprehensible remarks made by players Brendan Leipsic and (Florida Panthers prospect) Jack Rodewald in a private group chat that has surfaced on social media," the NHL said in a statement on Wednesday. "There is no place in our League for such statements, attitudes and behavior, no matter the forum. We will address this inexcusable conduct with the clubs and players involved."

Leipsic, who has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 61 games with the Capitals this season, apologized in a statement Wednesday.

"Yesterday my friend's Instagram account was hacked and an individual circulated images that are representative of private conversations I was a part of," he said. "I fully recognize how inappropriate and offensive these comments are and sincerely apologize to everyone for my actions. I am committed to learning from this and becoming a better person by taking time to determine how to move forward in an accountable, meaningful way. I am truly sorry."

Selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round (No. 89) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Leipsic has 59 points (16 goals, 43 assists) in 187 games over four NHL seasons with the Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs.