There will be a further update on the Capitals defenseman later this week.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals will be looking to fill a significant void on the blue line, as Rasmus Sandin will miss significant time due to a knee injury suffered in the final part of the season.
Per general manager Chris Patrick, there will be a further update on Sandin later in the week, but he will miss time going into next season.
"He's going to miss a decent amount of time," Patrick said. "It'll factor into our offseason decisions."
Sandin was hurt in the third-to-last game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on a pick play from Justin Brazeau, where Sandin's skate got caught in the ice and caused his leg to buckle out from under him upon contact.
The 26-year-old Swede had taken on a bigger role for Washington following John Carlson's departure, moving to the right side to skate on the top pairing with Martin Fehervary.
Down the stretch, he was able to bolster his two-way play and help D.C. make a last-minute push for the playoffs, as he finished with five goals and 24 assists for 29 points in 73 games while averaging 19:12 minutes per game. His 127 blocks ranked third on the team, and he also posted a plus/minus rating of plus-4.
With Sandin hurt, the Capitals will look to address the right side of their d-corps this summer, with pending UFAs Timothy Liljegren and Trevor van Riemsdyk being options to return. Otherwise, they'll look to free agency and also see what the trade market has to offer.