Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs Rasmus Sandin Put on LTIR: Nuts, He’ll Be Missed

At first Rasmus Sandin’s knee injury didn’t seem that severe. Things have changed. What does his injury mean for him and the team?

by
Old Prof
March 22, 2022

Rasmus Sandin came to my attention for the first time during the 2020 World Junior Tournament. In that tournament, he both flashed his talent on the international stage; and, sadly, he wasn’t able to finish the tournament because he took a nasty slash to the arm and wasn’t able to finish the tournament.

Still, he impressed those in the know and was named the best defenseman of the tournament after scoring three goals and adding seven assists in seven games. He also helped lead his Swedish team to a bronze medal.

High Praise for Sandin from Craig Button

Craig Button tweeted, after watching Sandin play against Russia, “Hey @MapleLeafs fans. @Rasmussandin is clearly the best defenseman here. Not close. Every single area of the game, he’s been brilliant.” For Button, who’s especially good at evaluating young prospects, that’s high praise.

Hey @MapleLeafs fans. @iihf_wjc @Trekronorse 🇸🇪 @Rasmussandin is clearly the best defenseman here. Not close. Every single area of the game, he’s been brilliant.
— Craig Button (@CraigJButton) January 4, 2020

Over the Seasons, It’s Been Fun to Watch Sandin Grow

Since 2020, it’s been great fun to watch defenseman Rasmus Sandin grow into his role with the Maple Leafs. He’s become a skilled and sometimes even physical defenseman who one day could be the quarterback of the first-unit power play. Sadly, the word from the Maple Leafs’ camp is that Sandin is dealing with a knee injury and it isn’t day-to-day. Two years ago it was his arm, now it’s his leg.

Maple Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury.https://t.co/aty5rVFubC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2022

In fact, he was put onto the LTIR yesterday. It’s possible that the injury is severe. The only minor upside is that the Maple Leafs can use Sandin’s injury to gain some minor but added salary-cap flexibility.

With Sandin gone, the organization called up two young defensemen from the Toronto Marlies. Both Teemu Kivihalme and Joey Duszak were on the ice for the Maple Leafs’ Monday’s practice. While it would be great to see young players hit the NHL ice in game action, it is also going to be fun to see newcomer Mark Giordano skate for the team as well.

Sandin Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

However, Sandin will be missed. As I noted, it’s been really great to see him grow into his job. Sure there are rookie mistakes, but there are also flashes of brilliance and potential.

This season, the 22-year-old Sandin has scored five goals and added 11 assists (for 16 points) in 51 games. His TOI is increasing to almost 17 minutes (16:58) a game. He’ll be a lock to regain his spot in the lineup when he returns.

Rasmus Sandin TJ Brodie Leafs — Rasmus Sandin and T.J. Brodie, both defensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Because Sandin’s knee injury required him to be placed on LTIR, he’ll be required to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. The earliest he’d be able to return would be on April 14 against the Washington Capitals.

However, recent news is that Sandin’s injury might require him to miss games past that point. If the news is bad and he misses the remainder of the season, the team will be able to exceed the salary cap by his salary-cap hit for the rest of the season.

I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.