NHL Insider shares the latest on the Leafs and Rasmus Sandin
There are many question marks heading into this summer and with just 6 weeks remaining until free agency opens up, some answers are beginning to trickle in. One such answer relates to 22-year-old defender Rasmus Sandin.
Last week, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had mentioned that a source told him to watch the situation developing between Sandin and the Leafs very closely, as Sandin is a pending RFA in need of a new deal this summer. The Leafs are dealing with a bit of a log jam on the left side and Friedman stated that the source told him that there may be nothing to be concerned about just yet, but that Sandin and his camp may be looking for some answers as to where he fits into the team's plans.
On Thursday, Friedman expanded on the Sandin situation, emphasizing that the Leafs will extend Sandin a qualifying offer and take things from there.
-Friedman on the Sandin contract situation
Sandin and Liljegren represent the future on Toronto's blueline and the fact that there is a traffic jam right now may not necessarily be a bad thing. The Leafs have not really rushed either player, giving both Swedes ample time to cook in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, but also had them up with the big club for stretches, just to get a look at their progress over time. Last year, both Sandin and Liljegren played a significant number of games for the Buds and were thought to be locks to be full-time NHLers this season.
I think what we'll end up seeing is at least one current defender moved out. Given the fact that Justin Holl has just one year remaining on his deal and found himself playing the role of 7th defenseman at times down the home stretch this season, he makes sense to be the odd man out. The big question is, can Sandin adjust to the right side? If the answer is yes, then the Leafs can have Liljegren pick up where Ilya Lyubushkin left off and have Sandin take over for Justin Holl. If the answer is no, then we may yet see a left-shot defender (likely Muzzin) moved to open up a spot for Sandin on his strong side. I don't know if Sandin is going to enjoy playing 7th defenseman next season, as he did through the entirety of the postseason.
| POLL | ||
2 JUIN | 245 ANSWERS NHL Insider shares the latest on the Leafs and Rasmus Sandin Will Sandin play the left or right side next season? | ||
| Left | 40 | 16.3 % |
| Right | 52 | 21.2 % |
| Probably a bit of both | 90 | 36.7 % |
| Neither - he's going to be traded | 63 | 25.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
