Good news for Washington Capitals fans as they’ve inked the Rasmus Sandin contract. The Swedish defenceman signed a five-year deal worth $23 million. This breaks down to an average annual cap hit of $4.6 million per season through the 2028-29 season. News of the deal happened on Wednesday morning.
Capitals Make Rasmus Sandin Contract Happen
Sandin has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Capitals over his five-year NHL career. The soon-to-be 24-year-old has three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 52 games so far this season. Sandin has a Corsi for of 48.8 and a relative Corsi of 2.6.
The Uppsala, Sweden native has 16 goals and 67 assists for 83 points in 211 career games. Toronto originally drafted Sandin in the first round, 29th overall of the 2018 NHL Draft.
He was acquired from the Maple Leafs in February of 2023. The deal was for defenceman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round draft pick that Washington had previously acquired from the Boston Bruins in the Dmitry Orlov trade. Last year’s trade also saw Garnet Hathaway ship on up to Boston.
Sandin has played at the international level for his native Sweden. He won a bronze medal at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships when the tournament was held in Czechia. In seven games during the 2020 tournament, which led all defensemen and was named the tournament’s top defenceman.
What it Means
Washington now has seven defencemen under contract for the 2023-24 season. Sandin joins Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas as players that are signed long-term with the Capitals.
The young blueliner has seemingly found a home in the American capital on their back end. Sandin has been a bright spot in an uncertain season for the club. New head coach Spencer Carbery has been able to rely on Sandin in a number of situations.
He will be a fixture on the blueline for the Capitals for the next few seasons. This contract was a logical signing by general manger Brian MacLellan.
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