All Rasmus Sandin's agent has done for him in these negotiations is cost him money; patience paying off for Dubas?
It seems like deja vu with another Lewis Gross client as Kyle Dubas and the Leafs have dug in on their negotiations with Rasmus Sandin. As we all remember in 2018, negotiations between Dubas and Gross on William Nylander's current deal went down to the wire before Nylander signed for $6.9M per season. At the time, many Leaf fans thought it was an overpayment and that Dubas got bullied into it, but now it's one of the best value deals in the league.
A few weeks ago, Sandin's agent had stated that "negotiations were going nowhere" and they have clearly not moved since. That seems to be turning into a good thing for Dubas and the Leafs though as more RFA blueliners have signed. Erik Brannstrom re-signed with Ottawa for 1 year and 900K a couple weeks back and just yesterday, Mikey Anderson re-signed with LA for 1 year and $1M.
Brannstrom played in 53 games last season and registered 14 points while playing an average of 19:46 per game. Anderson only put up 8 points in 57 games but played just over 20 minutes per game. Both players are a year older than Sandin and played on average 3 minutes more per game against tougher matchups.
There are questions about where Sandin fits on the Leafs' blueline still, but that can be figured out after he's signed. By holding out over being unsure of where he fits in the lineup, Sandin has possibly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars - perhaps even close to $1M per season over a 2 or 3-year deal. Kyle Dubas, on the other hand, is showing that he can be shrewd and isn't afraid to wait to get what he wants or feels is fair. He still has to clear cap space, but by not giving in to Sandin's demands and watching other RFA defensemen sign for less as the market and cap space go down, he has essentially given the Leafs more cap space once and if Sandin signs.
