Report: Contract negotiations between Leafs and RFA Rasmus Sandin 'going nowhere'

With under one month left until training camp begins, Toronto Maple Leafs defender Rasmus Sandin is still without a contract.

According to Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Sandin’s agent, Lewis Gross, said that negotiations between the two sides are “going nowhere.”

Gross didn’t go into any more details about the negotiation, but Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said that negotiating through the media would have a negative effect on the player…

“Negotiating contracts via the media have an adverse impact on player (and) team reputation and traditionally do not create resolutions to private matters,” Dubas told Sportsnet.

Sandin is one of the many notable restricted free agents who have yet to sign a deal with their respective clubs. All told, there are 27 unsigned RFAs out there, including Jason Robertson, who scored 79 points for the Dallas Stars last season, and Kirby Dach, whom the Montreal Canadiens acquired at the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Leafs selected Sandin with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2019-20, scoring eight points over 28 games, and then played in just nine games in the COVID-19 shortened 2021 season. The 2021-22 season was a breakout for Sandin, as he played in a career-high 51 games and scored 16 points while logging an average of 16:58 per night.

Sandin has now concluded his three-year entry-level contract and is a restricted free agent for the first time. The Leafs are currently pressed right against the salary cap and might need to make a trade in order to fit Sandin’s next contract into their books.