The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and the Boston Bruins’ 2023 first-round draft pick, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday afternoon.
Sandin, 22, has collected four goals and 20 points while averaging 17:59 in 52 games with the Maple Leafs this season. He returned to the lineup on Feb. 26 after missing a week with an upper-body injury.
The Maple Leafs originally selected Sandin in the first round (No. 29 overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The five-foot-eleven, 182-pound lefty is signed through the end of the 2023–24 season at $1.4 million cap hit.
Gustafsson, 30, is in the midst of a renaissance season. The six-foot, 197-pound left-handed defenseman recorded seven goals and 38 points while logging 20:22 in 61 games with the Capitals before the trade.
The Capitals signed Gustafsson to a one-year, $800,000 contract during the unrestricted free agent period last July. He’ll be eligible to hit the open market again this coming summer.
The Maple Leafs now have a 2023 first-round pick again after trading their own to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari. Gustafsson will further bolster a defensive group that already includes Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie, Timothy Liljegren, Mark Giordano, Justin Holl, and the recently acquired Jake McCabe.
The Capitals will return to action — potentially with Sandin in the lineup — on the road against the Anaheim Ducks at 10:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening. Two hours earlier, the Maple Leafs will take on the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
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