Toronto Maple Leafs: The Marlies Need Rasmus Sandin

Yet another Toronto Maple Leafs first rounder will be staying in the organization for the time being.

When the Toronto Marlies opted to keep Timothy Liljegren in North America 12 months ago rather than returning him to Sweden, it was not a decision made out of necessity.

Already possessing defensive depth to dwarf any opponent, the Marlies’ opening night blueline boasted four names – Justin Holl, Travis Dermott, Martin Marincin, and Rinat Valiev – who each went on to log NHL minutes in the months to come, adding two others – Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman –  later fitting the bill as well. By all accounts, the Marlies were certainly capable of storming ahead with their current group and experiencing little to no drop-off, gifting Liljegren the chance to percolate closer to home.

Ultimately, that is not the direction they chose.

The Marlies, in turn, proceeded to use this depth as a means of development. Liljegren’s presence, effective as he proved to be, was otherwise inessential to the success of the team, and because of this, it allowed him to be put in a position to most effectively assimilate to North American ice, all without the weight of undue pressure.

It worked. Go check the rafters of Coca-Cola Coliseum for proof.

Those were the luxuries afforded to the 2017-18 Marlies. Luxuries, as it’s now become clear, their 2018-19 counterparts do not have.

The Leafs organization under Kyle Dubas will never spurn process in lieu of short-term gain. It’s simply not in their nature. What this brain trust will do, however, is occasionally wade into some grey areas, ones which necessitate that they dip a toe on either side of the aisle.

Keeping Rasmus Sandin with the Marlies this season moving forward is one of those areas.

This team, whether they choose to admit it or not, is in desperate need of the services of their young Swede’, and they need them fast. Personnel loss in the offseason following their Calder Cup run has ravaged the Marlies’ formerly Goliath-esque depth across all fronts, and no area took a harder hit than the blueline’s left side.

Gone now are key pieces in Dermott, Marincin, and Valiev; replaced by the likes of Sam Jardine and Kyle Cumiskey who join Borgman, Rosen and a struggling Andrew Nielsen to form an existing core of which, to this point, has been the roster’s most glaring weakness, goaltending aside.

Lapses from Jardine can otherwise be excused, on the simple count of him never being subject to any meaningful expectation in the first place. Jardine is a career ECHLer, one with only 36 games of American League experience to his name and who was forced to earn a role on the Marlies out of training camp. What did you expect?

Nielsen, however, is afforded no such leeway.

Embarking upon what is now his third full season as a Marlie and fourth in total, the former third-round pick has made few strides, if any, since entering the AHL back in 2015-16 to fix his numerous flaws. That is undoubtedly disappointing.

When dealing with any prospect, it’s completely understandable for their development to hit some turbulence along the way. Heck, it’s even expected, so long as the hiccups prove ultimately to be a one-step-back/two-steps-forward scenario. Turbulence turns troubling only in instances when it becomes clear that no steps have been taken.

And let’s just say Neilsen hasn’t been blowing up his FitBit lately.

Here’s where Sandin comes in.

Not only will Sandin likely serve as a vast improvement to the mobility and overall awareness of a floundering third pair, his arrival could very well dictate a healthy dose of roster shuffling as a result, almost certainly bumping both Nielsen and Jardine to regular seats in the press box and perhaps giving the blueline a duly needed facelift.

For example:

Borgman – LoVerde 

Sandin – Liljegren

Rosen – Subban

Let’s break this down, shall we?

Resulting from their new look, each pairing now benefits from the presence of at least one capable puck mover, with any weak defensively weak links (namely, Subban) afforded the requisite support.

Then there’s Sandin and Liljegren, a pairing who displayed noticeably impressive chemistry with each other during the preseason, and whose reunion could be exactly what ignites either player’s strengths.

Just look at the way Sandin tracks the puck in his own zone, choosing the appropriate time to engage in a successful possession battle which, in a matter of seconds, turns the offensive reigns back into the hands of his own team.

Quick transitions like the one pictured above are exactly the type of schematic edge which left the Marlies in the wake of Holl’s promotion.

Conquering the breakout has the potential to be what turns the tide on their entire season.

Sandin’s hockey IQ, if appropriately translated to the AHL level, can additionally allow Liljegren to jump into, or even initiate, the rush far more often than he’s been capable of to date, while Liljegren’s playmaking ability could conversely open up offensive zone shooting lanes for Sandin to exploit with his phenomenal positional spacing.

Not to mention, the arrival of Frank Corrado is something to keep in mind as well.

Having Sandin shore up the left side allows the Marlies to give Corrado ample enough time to work back into game shape following the absence of a training camp and, upon return, lessen some of the responsibilities which have thus far been placed on the shoulders of a Jordan Subban or Vincent LoVerde.

The former, in particular, continues to be a work in progress, and Corrado’s presence could be what allows Sheldon Keefe to use Subban in a manner akin to his early-season usage of Liljegren last year. That being; sheltered even strength minutes, a lessened emphasis on game action in favour of extended skill sessions with the development staff, and, in the event he does suit up, the benefit of a defensively responsible running mate.

This, of course, all hinges on Sandin’s own ability to readily translate an impressively poised preseason with the Maple Leafs into the AHL. But if he’s successful, if he manages to keep forward on his upward momentum, Sandin could very well be what unlocks the Marlies’ dormant potential currently buried under their structural restraints.

It’s a lot to put on a teenager. Then again, Sandin has only gone on to thrive at every stage he’s stepped foot on in recent years. Why would this one be any different?

Thanks for reading!

All stats courtesy of hockeydb.com

All gifs & footage courtesy of Rogers Sportsnet