Will the Rasmus Sandin Trade Haunt the Toronto Maple Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded defenseman Rasmus Sandin on February 28th to the Washington Capitals for Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick.

Sandin, along with Timothy Liljegren, was thought to be part of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ future. Both players were re-signed to identical two-year deals worth $1.4 million a season. Liljegren signed right away, but Sandin held out in hopes of more money.

(Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

Trading Sandin to the Capitals helped Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas regain a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft and helped him shave $600,000 off of the salary cap by replacing Sandin’s $1.4 million with Gustafsson’s $800,000. At the time of the…