Former Leafs Player Development Analyst/Marlies assistant coach reveals why the Leafs traded Rasmus Sandin
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, the decision to trade Rasmus Sandin before the deadline couldn't have been an easy one. Of course, bringing in an NHL defenseman AND a first round pick, which may end up being more valuable to the team than an undersized left shot offensive defenseman depending on how the team plans to use the pick, definitely has its benefits.
The decision seemed like a bit of a curious case, as Sandin, 22, has not even entered his prime yet. However, there were some glaring issues in his game - one of which is believed to be one of the primary reasons why the Leafs decided to move him, according to a former employee.
Jack Han is a name that should be familiar. He has worked as an AHL assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies and was also a Player Development Analyst for the Leafs. On Monday, Han revealed why he believes the Leafs elected to deal Sandin, despite his low cap hit and obvious upside.
Han revealed in a post on Monday that there are two primary reasons why the Leafs moved on from Sandin - and neither of them involved him quietly demanding a trade. First, he believes that the move was simple asset management that Dubas believed would help improve his team now and in the future.
In Erik Gustafsson, the Leafs got a player who could not only replace Sandin's minutes adequately, but had out-produced Sandin up to that point in the season. The real asset they were after, however, was Boston's 2023 1st round pick, which the Caps had acquired in the Orlov/Hathaway deal. Sandin was the 29th overall pick in the 2018 draft. His 5'11 stature and 180-pound frame weren't doing anything to dissuade the opposition from imposing their will in the Leafs' zone, which is the second reason why Han believes Sandin was traded. His net-front defense.
That 1st round pick from the Bruins might very well fall in the same range in which Sandin himself was selected. However, Kyle Dubas has become very adept at finding undervalued talent. He has exhibited that in the Matthew Knies, Ty Voit and Fraser Minten picks, among others. If Dubas can use that pick to draft a player either at forward or on defense whose value may exceed that of Sandin, then the deal could be a massive win for the Leafs.
On the subject of his net-front defense, according to Han, Sandin hasn't exactly excelled at preventing the opposition from pushing to the middle of the ice in his team's defensive zone to create high-danger scoring chances. Sandin can't exactly be blamed for his size. That's just genetics. He can, however, be held responsible for not finding ways to improve those details of his game. Of course, at just 22, there is plenty of runway left for him and an abundance of time to fix some of the issues. Packing on some additional weight is one way that he can help himself, but the other could be to work on anticipating plays and improving his stick checking.
At any rate, Sandin has had a decent start to his tenure with the Capitals, albeit one with mixed results. He has produced 11 points in just 8 games so far with Washington, but is a -11 over his past 4 games and has been on the ice for 13 of 16 even strength goals over that span, adding fuel to the fire that he is, indeed, a subpar defender.
