With the Washington Capitals spiraling out of the Eastern Conference postseason race after losing six straight games in regulation in February 2023 and the NHL Trade Deadline approaching, the team admitted that the 2022-23 season was not their time and sold off five pieces from their roster to reload.
While they sold, Washington also wanted to put themselves in a position to compete the following campaign with Alex Ovechkin still chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. The team acquired a young defenseman with top-four potential in Rasmus Sandin from the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 28, 2023 to help build for both present day and the post-Ovechkin era. NoVa Caps looks at how the acquisition has worked out for the Capitals so far.
The trade was:
To Washington: Sandin
To Toronto: 2023 28th overall pick (C Easton Cowan; originally Boston Bruins’ selection), D Erik Gustafsson
The Capitals acquired the pick just five days earlier in the deal that sent Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to Boston, so the transaction could be viewed as the following for Washington:
Players and Assets In: Sandin, RW Craig Smith, 2024 90th overall pick (LW Eriks Mateiko), Boston’s 2025 second-round pick
Players Out: Gustafsson, Orlov, Hathaway
At the point in which he was traded, Sandin had four goals, 20 points, a +10 rating, .5385 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5773 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .5893 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 52 games while averaging 17:59 per game (sixth among Toronto defensemen), including 1:49 on the power play (second) and 10 seconds on the penalty-kill.
Let’s start by evaluating Sandin’s performance since coming to Washington. The 28th overall pick from 2018 saw a big bump in production with more ice time, tallying three goals, 15 points, .4687 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4397 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4282 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 19 games with the Capitals to close out the 2022-23 season. Sandin’s ice time drew to 22:59 per game with Washington, which ranked second on the team, including 2:17 on the power play (ninth).
Sandin did not pick up where he left off for his first full season in Washington. The 24-year-old posted three goals, 23 points, a -13 rating, .4612 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4606 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .47 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 68 regular-season games, where he averaged 21:07 per game (second), including 1:24 on the power play (second). Sandin appeared in only one first-round game due to injury and it was apparent that the Capitals missed him as they allowed 11 goals over the three games he missed. While his metrics dropped off from his performance in Toronto, Sandin was thrown into a bigger role on a team that sold at the deadline and had just lost a long-time defensive stalwart in Orlov after coming over from a Stanley Cup contender.
With Sandin approaching restricted free agency with salary arbitration rights, Washington signed him to a six-year contract that carries a $4.6 million cap hit. The deal has the potential to be a bargain a few years down the road as long as Sandin continuously progresses after an underwhelming first full season. The good news is Washington’s defense got stronger in July and Sandin will likely play with Matt Roy, who is known as one of the better two-way defensemen in the NHL and could allow Sandin to take a more offensive role. The Capitals had a blueline that recorded a 3.07 goals-against per game (tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the NHL average), .79 penalty-killing efficiency (19th), 30.5 shots-against per game (tied with Boston Bruins for 21st), 177.49 expected goals-against at five-on-five (25th), 1844 scoring chances-against at five-on-five (21st), and 102 high-danger goals-against at five-on-five (tied with New Jersey Devils for 27th) last season, so it is understandable that Sandin’s statistics dropped off. The team also traded Joel Edmundson in March, leaving their blueline that already featured the NHL ice-time leader in John Carlson (25:53 per game) in a more vulnerable position down the stretch.
Sandin will need more time before the verdict on the acquisition for Washington was a hit but he needs to be better after the team showed faith in him by signing him to a long-term deal. Sandin will have to earn his ice time this season after the Capitals acquired Jakob Chychrun in July and Martin Fehervary took his game to another level in the postseason.
On the other side, Cowan is favorited by many to crack Toronto’s opening night roster in October after he put up a monster season in the OHL with 62 assists and 96 points in 54 games as a member of the London Knights. While the Capitals technically did not lose nor gain anything by sending Boston’s pick for Sandin, how the 19-year-old transitions to the big league will be something to keep an eye on as Sandin looks to improve.
Gustafsson played just nine of a possible 22 regular-season games and only two of Toronto’s 11 postseason outings during his time there before signing with the New York Rangers in free agency.
While Sandin is still developing, the fact that Washington got him along with second- and third-round picks for three players who are no longer with the teams the Capitals traded them to should be considered a win. Whether flipping Boston’s first-round pick for him was worth it remains to be seen but the team is in a better spot looking at the bigger picture as Orlov, Hathaway, and Gustafsson were all set to become unrestricted free agents four months later. In addition to Sandin’s performance this season, Cowan’s development will also be a measurement as to how Washington did in this trade. Fortunately for the Sandin and the Capitals, he will not face as much pressure as he did last season after the team got some much-needed help on defense and Sandin could find himself playing with a better partner. Now, it’s on the player to deliver.
By Harrison Brown
