NHL Trade Scores: The Maple Leafs send Rasmus Sandin to the Capitals, a win for both teams

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Get maple leavesDefenseman Erik Gustafsson, 2023 first-round pick (from BOS)

get capitals: Defenseman Rasmus Sanden

Sean Gentile: So we’re getting one big Leafs deal a day, until the deadline? Is this how this will work? Good. There was a lot to like about Monday’s pitch: Jake McCabe, as a really good defensive lineman, is the rarest of birds, and he’s booked $2 million for three more seasons. It is a second pair earning a third pair of money. Forget the return cost. Forget about the rest of the deal, actually. That’s good enough.

But what made it kind of a scratcher was how crowded the Toronto Blue Line was. They did not add McCabe to sit on. So, barring the movement, someone is going to get stuck in the press box, maybe it’s Rasmus Sandin.

But what they did instead was suddenly send a surplus player to Washington for a very strong comeback. Now, they’ve added a first-round pick and $600,000 in cap space for the next few days. If you’re part of the “Toronto should have added some offensive third line instead of McCabe and Sam Lafferty” chorus, this should make you happy. They’ve just added a major asset that, if it’s dispatched on a reasonable contract, can pick up a now profitable piece in another relatively weak spot. If nothing else, it would be easier for them, from a cap perspective, to activate Matt Murray and add Matthew Knies on a rookie contract. Meanwhile, Gustafsson is the seventh defenseman on the playoffs team. He has an offensive ability but needs to watch his usage closely, and he definitely makes more sense as a healthy scratch than Sandeen would have done. Cheap and half-decent guys on expired deals have a place in the NHL.

On a more conceptual level, it’s a smart, interesting move – and a smart reaction to a market that, in the last few days, has shifted in front of all of us. Sandin ($1.4 million from AAV through 2023-23, RFA thereafter) was outstanding in a relatively sheltered role. If he had more to give, the Caps would benefit; The only defender they have under contract for next season is John Karlsson, so the opportunity would certainly be there.

And if that’s who Sandin was in the long run — an elite defensive lineman, rather than a true man of the upper echelon — then the price will be worth it. Washington flipped the first player it got from Boston to a player who could contribute right away, and possibly turn into a legitimate cornerstone down the line. This is a quick rebuild done right, and one particular move that could not have been of much interest to Brian McClellan yesterday morning. Act fast. Solid signs everywhere.

Grade Maple Leafs: a-
capitals degrees: a-

Corey Brunman: Rasmus Sandin was a solid player in the NHL. He is a very smart puck drive with NHL power play skill and vision. He also doesn’t mind the physical play you love to see from a small defenseman. His skating was, and continues to be, a problem, which limits his defensive value in the NHL. He’s a good player, but he probably won’t get past 4-5 NHL D’s over his career due to his physical limitations.

Toronto, after the acquisition of Jake McCabe, had a busy record on defense and hat issues, and one had to go. Sanden is a manageable young player who has shown promise, which is why it took a first-round pick to get him. He didn’t fully live up to the promise he made though after igniting the AHL as a teenager, and staying healthy was an issue for him as a pro. For a Washington team trying to quickly retool, this is the right kind of asset to target.

Erik Gustafsson is a very skilled defensive lineman with a solid season who has never been known for playing defensively much. His cheap, expiring contract is as attractive to Toronto as his game on ice. Getting a late first round for Sandin is fair value in my eyes.

Grade Maple Leafs: B
capitals degrees: B

(Photo: Mark Blanch/NHLI via Getty Images)