Rasmus Sandin Reveals How He Kept Himself Busy While Waiting on His New Contract

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Matt Garland
October 8, 2022 (3:14 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and defensemen Rasmus Sandin finally agreed on a two-year contract extension with a $1.4 million AAV. It was a drag out battle that lasted all summer long.

It's now behind them, with Sandin in camp skating on the right side, paired with Jake Muzzin. Sandin was asked how he kept busy while waiting for his contract negotiation to play out.

"I was actually out walking in the woods a couple of times and that's something I've not done before,"

the 22-year-old revealed.

"I was looking for some chanterelle [mushrooms] in the woods. I didn't look at my phone. I was just focusing on finding some chanterelles out there. I [used them] in some cooking so that was a big help. I didn't have to go buy them in the store."

"Every negotiation is different,"

he said.

"I'm super excited to be back and the sun's shining right now so I can't complain."

Still dealing with jet lag, Sandin returned to practice on Sunday.

"Better than I thought,"

he said of the session.

"It was really, really fun to see all the guys."

"He didn't look like he was off pace at all,"

said Mitch Marner.

"He looked like he was fresh."

"It's going to take him some time to really get to the point where it would be fair to evaluate him,"

said coach Sheldon Keefe.

"He's running on the treadmill going pretty quick here right now. He'll have to get settled in, in that sense, so he won't play tomorrow. The intent will be to get him in at the end of the week."

Sandin has joined camp a little thicker this season, bulking up from 178 pounds to 194.

"Lots bigger,"

he said with a smile.

"I feel stronger. I feel better in my body overall. I feel healthy. I just feel really good. I'm excited to be back and hopefully that will show."

"I feel comfortable on the right,"

he said.

"I felt pretty good out there today ... I need to prove myself. I need to show them I had a good summer and be ready when the season starts."

Toronto is visiting Montreal on Monday night before wrapping up their exhibition schedule with games against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday and Saturday. Sandin will look to get in at least one game before the regular season starts on October 12th.