Radio personality suggests that a rival team could tender Sandin or Liljegren an offer sheet
We've heard a lot about the bevy of roster decisions facing the Leafs this summer, and while a lot of them have to do with the situation in goal, there area also some difficult decisions ahead relating to the blueline.
The Leafs have Morgan Rielly entering the first year of his new 8-year deal this season, with his salary rising to $7.5M per season. They also have veterans in T.J. Brodie and Jake Muzzin earning $5M and $5.625M, respectively, as well as Justin Holl entering the final year of his deal, carrying a $2M cap hit. We know that Mark Giordano will be back with the club next season at a very modest $800K for the next two seasons as well, but much of the attention is on what the Leafs are planning to do with a pair of RFA's in Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.
Sandin and Liljegren both made very significant strides this past season, playing 51 and 61 games, respectively. They may not have contributed a lot in the way of offense, but both defensemen did exceed .30 points per game, with Sandin finishing the season with 16 points in 51 games and Liljegren hitting the 23-point mark in 61 games. But where they did excel was in transition and in their two-way play. It's also work mentioning that neither blueliner has exceeded the 100-game threshold in their young careers yet.
The sky is the limit for the pair of young Swedes and the Leafs may find themselves in a precarious position if either player (or both) decide to dig their heels in during their upcoming contract negotiations. The other risk that the Leafs take on if they don't put pen to paper before July 13th is that they'll have the threat of an offer sheet hanging over their heads.
During a June 13th edition of Leafs Lunch on TSN1050, co-host Mike DiStefano (AKA, Al's Brother) brought up the potential of a team who has a lot of cap room and a lot of picks potentially offering a player like Rasmus Sandin an offer sheet that may be in excess of what the Leafs were planning on paying to get him re-signed.
Now, obviously, in that scenario, the Leafs would have the option to match the offer sheet and retain the player, but if a team like the Detroit Red Wings or the Arizona Coyotes valued a player of Sandin's skill level and potential a big deal that walks him straight to UFA and was not concerned with forfeiting picks as compensation, it could put the Leafs in a bind where they either face the potential of losing Sandin and taking the compensation or having to move a player they may not otherwise have moved in order to match the offer.
In the scenario that DiStefano brought up, he used a 1-year $2M deal as an example, which would only carry a compensatory 3rd round pick. Now, obviously, the Leafs are matching that. But, if a team within the division such as the Red Wings, wants to take the next step in their rebuild and land a player in Rasmus Sandin, who is certainly going to be very good NHL defenseman, they could conceivably offer him a 6-year deal at $4.2M per season, which would force the Leafs to make a very difficult decision. They'd have to match, as the compensation for such a deal would be just a 2nd round pick, so there are a number of ways that teams can mess with the Leafs if they are so inclined. The nightmare scenario would be to have two separate teams offer sheet Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren at $4.2M each, which would essentially force the Leafs to pick one and take the compensation on the other - unless, of course, they decide to move a key piece to create room to match both deals.
It is also worth noting that the player would have to actually sign the offer sheet, so if neither Sandin nor Liljegren is amenable to signing one, this is all for not. Is is likely to happen? Not at all. But just the fact that it's a possibility (even a 1% chance is too much), it has me crossing my fingers and toes that the Leafs arrive at deals with both Sandin and Liljegren before July 13th.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 15 | 204 ANSWERS Radio personality suggests that a rival team could tender Sandin or Liljegren an offer sheet Will any one of the Leafs' RFA's receive an offer sheet? | ||
| Sandin | 61 | 29.9 % |
| Liljegren | 32 | 15.7 % |
| Kase | 22 | 10.8 % |
| None | 89 | 43.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
