Capitals' Sandin May Be the Sneakiest Addition of the Trade Deadline

Rasmus Sandin was a young defender on an all-in Toronto team traded to the Washington Capitals. Tony Ferrari breaks down what makes Sandin's future so exciting.

The Washington Capitals will try to stay competitive as long as Alexander Ovechkin is still chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, so a full-on rebuild is out of the question.

That means an aggressive retool is in order. Rather than using the term “retool” as an excuse to stay the course, the Capitals moved out short-term aging veterans while looking to acquire younger, developing talent poised to come into their own.

Rasmus Sandin could be exactly that.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman has been one of the most intriguing young blueliners in the NHL. Highly skilled, a smooth skater, and offensively dynamic, Sandin has had Toronto fans salivating over what could be for a few years now. And Sandin's three-assist Capitals debut on Saturday night quickly caught Caps fans up to speed on how good Sandin can be.

Drafted 29th overall in 2018, Sandin quickly jumped to the AHL at 18 because he was playing in the OHL on loan from his Swedish club. 

He had an exceptional rookie season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, scoring 28 points in 44 games. It was the second most points in an AHL season for an 18-year-old defenseman in history and the best points-per-game rate, according to eliteprospects.com.

To say the young Swedish defender impressed in his draft+1 season would be an understatement. He was phenomenal.

After splitting the following season between the AHL and NHL, proving he had done everything he needed to do in the minors, Sandin was set to begin a long fight for playing time in Toronto’s NHL lineup. 

Healthy scratches, playing on the third pair, and receiving secondary power-play time all led to Sandin’s development halting.

This past off-season, the former Soo Greyhound was an RFA, and the battle over what his next contract would be seemed to be taxing. The team wanted to sign him to a deal matching fellow young defender Timothy Liljegren, while Sandin wanted a bigger, longer deal. 

Ultimately, Sandin would sign the deal GM Kyle Dubas and the Leafs wanted toward the end of training camp.

The season started slowly, as the lack of leadup to the season clearly affected Sandin. His game was a bit off, lacking the crispness of his usual play. Passes didn’t connect, pucks bobbled, and the 22-year-old blueliner worked from behind from the start.

Still, once his game got back on track, Sandin’s opportunities in the top four came few and far between. The best run of play he had was when Morgan Rielly was injured, and Sandin took over the top power-play duties for some time. Sandin was efficient and cerebral with the Leafs' top unit.

Sandin’s season regressed back to what we’ve expected from the defender. He has driven incredible results analytically, and his counting stats were more than respectable for a player who was primarily given a third-pair, second-power-play opportunity.

Sandin’s data has been excellent for a couple of years now. The largest issues are the defensive play and fortitude in front of his own net haven’t progressed to this point in his career. These issues were exposed when Sandin was given more opportunities.

Sandin has crushed third-pair minutes and matchups against the opposing team’s bottom six attackers but has found himself in tough as he’s moved up the lineup at times. Still just 22, there is plenty of room to develop and improve in all aspects of the game, especially defensively.

His tools are good enough. He shows a willingness to throw big hits in open ice and be physical despite his stature. He has flashes of excellent moments when defending in transition, using his mobility and stick skills. All the areas of concern have been capable in flashes, but the consistency has been worrisome as the opportunities expand.

The Leafs are in win-now mode, and they don’t have the time or patience to wait for Sandin to figure that part of his game out. Toronto was happy to get assets for Sandin, who likely would have been the seventh or eighth defender on the depth chart for their playoff run.

Dubas has developed a reputation for doing right by his players, trading away European free agents who fall short of the lineup to get them the opportunity they originally wanted or moving players who are unhappy to better situations.

Sandin was Dubas’ first draft choice and a former Soo Greyhound, so moving on from him wasn’t exactly a move that the Leafs GM wanted to do. Moving on from Sandin, who may have found himself to be the odd man out, was doing a service to the team and player.

What was Toronto’s loss, though, could very well become Washington’s gain.

The Capitals' aggressive approach to their retooling has been highly encouraging to see for Caps fans. Although a lineup fixture in Dmitry Orlov left town, the squad added a younger blueliner in Sandin, who could help extend the window in future years after what they hope to be a temporary step back this year.

Adding Sandin gives them insurance for the aging yet effective John Carlson when healthy. Sandin will help replace the impact Orlov had in transition for the Capitals. They’ve always been willing to let Orlov move the puck as a skater, a strength of Sandin’s as well. His ability to generate zone exits and entries through the middle of the ice will be a major asset to the Caps.

Sandin will always be able to play on one of the league's premier power plays, using his blueline mobility and penchant for pulling penalty-killers with him across the top of the zone to help ensure that Ovechkin gets to Gretzky’s goal record. 

Sandin has always been a more willing shooting threat from the blueline, similar to Carlson in that aspect, which has allowed him to humble opponents.

Sandin's potential is still very high. The Capitals are betting on extending their window in the short term by recouping a young, effective asset with one of the picks from the Orlov trade. They ensure a quality, high-upside NHLer over the magic beans of a late first-round draft pick.

If Washington can be patient with Sandin, allow him to work with Carlson and develop over the next couple of years, they could find themselves one of the game's most underrated two-way talents on the back end. 

The other end of the spectrum could be that Sandin tops out at what he is right now. He could remain a quality fourth or fifth defender who can run a power play and crush the minutes he gets against lower-level competition.

Sandin to the Capitals could be one of the sneakiest long-term plays of the deadline. A team that has traditionally been one of the most impressive offensive powers with a willingness to let their defenders cook acquired one of the more skilled young blueliners in the game. The move fits the truest definition of a retool.

Only time will tell, but the Capitals betting on Sandin may wind up being the deal of the deadline.