22-year-old Rasmus Sandin was still without a contract when the Toronto Maple Leafs camp began and the team played its first practice games. The restricted free agent finally reached an agreement and can begin training with the team.
Last season, the Swedish defender played in 51 games and collected 16 points. Drafted in the first round four years ago, Sandin has played in 88 games in his NHL career and scored six goals and 22 assists.
The Maple Leafs’ contract extension was sped up by injuries to other defensemen in the preseason. Jake Mazin has problems with his back, Timothy Liljegren just had an operation, but Wednesday’s test match against Montreal “Canadiens” (3:0) was particularly unsuccessful.
During that time, both Jamie Benn (groin) and Karl Dahlström (shoulder) were injured, so forwards Kalli Jarnkrook and Alexander Kerfoot had to be moved to defense during the match. It became clear that Dahlström will need surgery on his shoulder, which means he will miss six months.
The most prominent restricted free agent still without a contract is Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. He had 41 goals and 79 points in 74 games last season. The 23-year-old hockey player was also the second most productive player of “Stars” a year earlier.
Resources used:
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id…
