The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Rasmus Sandin to a five-year contract extension worth $4.6 million per year.
Last year's trade deadline acquisition, Rasmus Sandin, has re-signed with the Washington Capitals.
The defenseman signed a five-year contract extension worth $4.6 million per year, the Capitals announced Wednesday morning. The 23-year-old, who turns 24 on Thursday, is in the final season of a two-year contract worth $1.4 million per year. He was set to be an RFA this summer.
Sandin has 17 assists and 20 points in 52 games with the Capitals this season. Last year, the 29th overall pick in 2018 had 20 points in 52 appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the team traded him to Washington for a 2023 first-round pick (forward Easton Cowan) and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. After the move, Sandin had 15 points in 19 games.
While he isn't scoring at the same pace as at the end of last season, Sandin ranks second among Capitals defensemen in points, goals (three), assists and average ice time (21:19), all behind John Carlson. The 5-foot-11, 182-pound blueliner from Uppsala, Sweden, also has 57 hits and 85 shot blocks so far this year.
The contract extension comes a day after the Capitals traded forward Anthony Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights for second-round and fourth-round draft picks.
Washington sits seven points back of a playoff spot and has the sixth-oldest average age in the league, according to eliteprospects.com. Having Sandin under contract through the 2028-29 season could be quite valuable long-term as the team looks for a roster refresh following 14 playoff appearances in 16 years and a Stanley Cup win in 2018.
Washington now has five defensemen under contract for the next two seasons after this one, but only 24-year-old Martin Fehervary and Sandin are under 32.
For more reaction, visit The Hockey News' Washington Capitals site.