The Leafs may have made a crucial error on trade deadline week
The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 7-4 on Saturday night in an impressive comeback win after trailing 3-1. We continue to see some of the early returns on what might be the most aggressive deadline in franchise history - a deadline that included the additions of Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Accairri, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, Erik Gustafsson and Luke Schenn. Adding character and grit to the lineup was important and something fans had been clamouring for.
There was also the departure of the often maligned Engvall, who, simply put, just doesn't play physical "playoff hockey" and has already been benched by the Islanders. The Leafs were also able to keep all their top prospects and almost everyone from the main roster, aside from Rasmus Sandin, who had slipped down the depth chart to 7th D. Honestly it would be fairly difficult to be upset with how the Leafs deadline unfolded, even for the most pessimistic of fans. Unfortunately, Sandin has had a blistering start with the Capitals, amassing 8 points in just 4 games. Now, all of the talk is about the one who got away.
The sample size is obviously very limited at this point but Sandin is truly excelling in Washington, given the role he's been cast in. In fact, he is already setting team records. His increased usage on their top pairing is basically out of necessity due to their lack of depth at the position with Nick Jensen and John Carlson sidelined, but is nonetheless quite impressive. It will be interesting to see his production once Carlson returns, the regular top powerplay quarterback.
The Leafs have a history of trading young promising players away, only for them to blossom with their new team. Alexander Steen comes to mind, as do Carter Verhaeghe and Sean Durzi. It is yet to be seen, but it will be extremely difficult to swallow if Sandin turns out to be the type of defenseman Toronto covets in the future.
| POLL | ||
MARS 12 | 311 ANSWERS The Leafs may have made a crucial error on trade deadline week Did the Leafs get enough of a return for Rasmus Sandin? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 34.7 % |
| No | 157 | 50.5 % |
| Even trade | 46 | 14.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
