NHL Insider ranks Rasmus Sandin surprisingly high as an offer sheet target

Of course, the Leafs want to keep Sandin and may believe that he has a higher ceiling than Liljegren, but it comes down to where they see him fitting in their current roster. An untimely injury in March prevented Sandin from playing the rest of the season and playoffs. As Keefe said at the time, it would've been unfair to put Sandin in the lineup during the playoffs and expect results when he hadn't played in 2 months.

Given that Morgan Reilly, Jake Muzzin and Mark Giordano are now all ahead of Sandin on the left side, where do the Leafs see him? Do they get him to play the right side and replace Justin Holl? Do they move Muzzin this summer? Regardless, the Leafs will find a way to give him a spot this season, as long as he isn't offer sheeted.

Frank Seravalli has Sandin listed as his number 3 target to receive an offer sheet, given the Leafs' cap constraints and that there are other defensemen ahead of him on the left side. Seravalli says that even just a 1-year offer sheet at $4M would complicate things for the Leafs this season and beyond.

For instance, if Sandin did accept an offer sheet for $4M for 1 season and the Leafs matched, obviously they would have to move money out to accommodate this season but it would also increase Sandin's qualifying offer next season. That number could make the Leafs walk away if they were unable to sign him to a cheaper deal and they would lose a very young and talented defenseman. The other problem is that if the Leafs did not match the deal, the compensation would be just a 2nd round pick next summer. Not exactly in the ball park of what Sandin is worth.

There's no easy answer here, unless Sandin agrees to sign a bridge deal before free agency opens up or declines to sign an offer sheet. I don't necessarily think it's very likely that he does agree to sign an offer sheet, but if the offer is enticing enough for the 22-year-old defenseman, I wouldn't completely rule it out either.