Maple Leafs RFA defenseman might be looking for a change of scenery
On yesterday's edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported a somewhat uncertain and fluid situation between the Toronto Maple Leafs and their RFA defenceman, Rasmus Sandin.
Between the long term signing of Morgan Rielly, and shorter term commitments to Jake Muzzin and Mark Giordano, the Leafs have a logjam of quality defenceman on the left side. There's potential openings on the right side as well, but in the past, Sandin has struggled to play his off side.
That leaves Friedman, as well as his sources, wondering if a potential trade is in the works for Sandin, or to open a spot for him.
Sandin is an extremely promising prospect and under team control, meaning he could fetch quite a trade package if the Leafs were to pursue that option. However, GM Kyle Dubas has shown an affinity to keep his young, cheap players, and with the future of Sandin being so valuable, perhaps the Leafs look to offload another left side defenceman to create a spot for him.
Again, with the long term commitment to Rielly, and Giordano recently taking a hometown discount, that leaves Jake Muzzin. Although he has a no trade clause, it's been speculated he may waive his rights to be traded back to Los Angeles, as they seek to become contenders in the next few seasons.
There will almost certainly be some roster fluidity on the Leafs back-end, inherent in managing as many quality defenceman as they have. But one thing is certain, Rasmus Sandin wants to play a regular role and if it's not in Toronto he may look elsewhere.
| POLL | ||
Should the Leafs keep or trade Rasmus Sandin? | ||
| Keep | 196 | 70 % |
| Trade | 84 | 30 % |
| List of polls | ||
