Rasmus Sandin cracks up the media with his take on Ilya Lyubushkin
For young Rasmus Sandin, the 2021-22 season has been full of ups, downs and valuable learning experiences that his first NHL season as a full-time NHL defenseman. He's seen a steady rotation of D partners over the course of the season, and has even found himself as a healthy scratch on a few occasions (unrelated to his play, which has been very good to great). Now, as the coaching staff have been able to properly evaluate what they have on the blueline for more than half of the season, the picture is getting a bit clearer as to what a healthy blueline in the playoffs will look like - barring another trade.
Sandin has drawn the honour of ascending from the third pair into a top-four role due to Jake Muzzin's unfortunate injury earlier this week in Montreal and he is paired with newcomer Ilya Lyubushkin - a hard-nosed defenseman who plays a very physical and defensively responsible game. On Thursday, ahead of the Leafs' match up with the Minnesota Wild, Sandin had a chance to speak with the media about a variety of subjects, including what playing with Lyubushkin has been like.
It's fun... He's a guy that isn't afraid to chat, so it's been good. He came in right away and takes some responsibility back there... he talks with all the guys. It's easy for me to adjust a little bit. He's been doing a really good job. We're communicating a lot out there.
When TSN's Mark Masters asked Sandin about how he felt that "The Russian Bear" A.K.A. Lyubushkin's "bear-like tendencies" would fit in next to him, Sandin joked about how the soft-spoken Russian was a "very soft bear", sparking some laughter from the media members in attendance before going on to be very complimentary of both Lyubushkin's game and his gentle and friendly demeanor, which is obviously a complete contrast to his play on the ice.
In the first period last game, he showed his physical qualities, but [off the ice] I still think he's a very soft bear. He's just really nice.. he's not afraid to chat about anything. It's a great addition for us and I'm very happy he's here.
Sandin and Lyubushkin will likely be a little more comfortable playing alongside one another after having the opportunity to skate together over the past couple of days and, while there's still going to be some growing pains as they find their chemistry, the combination of the very quick and mobile Sandin and the fierce and physical Lyubushkin could end up creating a very formidable pair for the Leafs moving forward.
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