Defenseman not happy with Maple Leafs' management
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin remains without a contract for next season, as he is still an RFA.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman was on SN590 and shared his thoughts on the Sandin situation:
''Nobody will tell me exactly what they think the outcome is going to be here, but there is no doubt in my mind that Toronto is in a situation that they did not expect they would be in.''
�'I think they felt they would be able to get Sandin signed, and they would tell him that if he plays well enough, there is going to be a spot for him. I think Sandin is resisting that right now. I think he is taking a look at what is going on with the blue line and saying, �There is not really a spot for me here.'
Whether he is right or wrong about this, he doesn't feel that it is set up for him to have a fair shot at his strong side on the roster.''
�'I think Toronto has tried to convince him otherwise, but at this point in time, he is not convinced. I don't know if that means they are going to trade him. I don't think that is the preferred outcome here, but I think, at the very least, what it's done is made them think whether they are going to have to do something they didn't initially think they were going to have to do.''
�'I think they felt they would be able to get Sandin signed, and they would tell him that if he plays well enough, there is going to be a spot for him. I think Sandin is resisting that right now. I think he is taking a look at what is going on with the blue line and saying, �There is not really a spot for me here.'
Whether he is right or wrong about this, he doesn't feel that it is set up for him to have a fair shot at his strong side on the roster.''
�'I think Toronto has tried to convince him otherwise, but at this point in time, he is not convinced. I don't know if that means they are going to trade him. I don't think that is the preferred outcome here, but I think, at the very least, what it's done is made them think whether they are going to have to do something they didn't initially think they were going to have to do.''
The left side of the Maple Leafs' defence is deep in multi-year contracts with Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Mark Giordano. (They're all ahead of Sandin on the depth chart).
The 22-year-old appeared in 51 games last season, recording 5 goals and 11 assists and averaging 16:58 per night.
A knee injury forced him out of the final 20 regular season games of the season, and he didn't crack the lineup in any of the seven playoff games in their first round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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