Kings sign RFA defenseman signs new deal, which should lower Rasmus Sandin's market value
The LA Kings announced today that they have come to terms on a 2-year, $3.4M deal with RFA defenseman Sean Durzi. The deal will come with a cap hit of $1.7M per season and Durzi will remain an RFA at its expiration, but will have arbitration rights.
Durzi was a key piece in the 2019 trade that saw the Leafs land Jake Muzzin. Last season was Durzi's first season in the NHL and he skated in 64 games, registering 27 points. Not only did Durzi put up 27 points, but he also played an average of 19:36 per game.
A year older than Sandin, at 23, Durzi becomes the latest in a string of RFA defensemen to sign cheap contracts, including Durzi's teammate Mikey Anderson. At this point, the longer Sandin has waited, the lower his market value has gotten. With rumours of a $2.6M AAV ask, every deal signed while he's been holding out has reduced his leverage.
If the main issue is not money, but rather usage, that's an entirely different issue altogether. We know that Sandin does not want to play the right side and that GM Kyle Dubas prefers Sandin on his strong side (left). We also know that Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Mark Giordano are all but certain to be left side staples this season. If the Leafs don't plan to shift one of the abovementioned defenders over to the right side, then that would mean that the Leafs still view Sandin as the 7th defenseman.
Camp is set to open next week and the more time that goes by, the more probable it is that Sandin will hold out into camp and perhaps even into the season, much the way fellow Swede William Nylander did back in 2018.
