Rasmus Sandin's reported ask is much higher than that of Timothy Liljegren
Well, here we are, 3 days into free agency and the Leafs have yet to convince restricted free agent defenseman Rasmus Sandin to put pen to paper on a new deal, despite the fact that friend and fellow Swede Timothy Liljegren already signed a 2-year, $2.8M ($1.4M AAV) deal earlier this summer.
Many had speculated that Sandin's next deal would end up in the neighborhood of the Liljegren deal, maybe a hair more, but according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, that simply isn't the case. Friedman suggested on his most recent 32 Thoughts podcast that Sandin views himself closer to the range that Columbus Blue Jackets defender Adam Boqvist signed for earlier this summer. Boqvist signed a 3-year deal on July 6th worth $7.8M (a $2.6M AAV).
The problem that the Leafs will face now is that they're currently sitting on about $750K in cap space. We know that there are trades on the way, as both Sandin and fellow countryman Pierre Engvall are still in need of deals. In addition, there is still a hole next to John Tavares and William Nylander in the top six. While that hole was plugged fairly often by Alexander Kerfoot last season, those 3 did not seem to gel together, so that could make Kerfoot the odd man out to create the space necessary to re-sign Sandin and Engvall. If they do deal Kerfoot, they'll need to bring in another forward, which could mean that Jake Muzzin would need to be moved for that top-6 upgrade up front. This, of course, lines up because Sandin needs a regular spot in the lineup on his strong side (left).
Boqvist and Sandin suited up in 52 and 51 games this season, respectively. Sandin produced just 16 points with the opportunities he was given, mostly 3rd pairing duties. Meanwhile, Boqvist produced at a slightly higher rate, recording 22 points, again mostly in a bottom pairing position.
I'm sure that if Liljegren had pushed for a 3-year deal, his AAV would have ended up a little higher as well. If Sandin does push for 3 years, I'd imagine he'll come in somewhere between $2M and $2.4M per season, if the benchmark is the Boqvist deal. However, I certainly don't think he'll get the full $2.6M. We'll have to see how this one shakes out.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 15 | 726 ANSWERS Rasmus Sandin's reported ask is much higher than that of Timothy Liljegren Is Rasmus Sandin worth more than Timothy Liljegren? | ||
| Yes | 254 | 35 % |
| No | 226 | 31.1 % |
| They're worth about the same | 246 | 33.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
