Toronto Maple Leafs Draft and Develop Potential Star Defenseman

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Rasmus Sandin 29th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Despite barely being a first-rounder, Sandin immediately jumped to the top of the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect charts, and has stayed there ever since, as the team has slowly developed him into one of the best prospects in the game.

An incredibly intelligent player who is good at everything  and great an nothing, Sandin wasn’t ever really considered a blue-chip star-in-the-making prospect because he lacks that one skill that all superstars seem to have.

The thing is, however, having watched him in the NHL now for a while – it might just be his brain that is elite.  A calm player who never seems to get in trouble, Sandin isn’t super fast, he doesn’t have a great shot, his passing is not of Morgan Rielly’s caliber, and he certainly isn’t a big hitter or puck rusher.

He’s just kind of there – always effective, steady, just making smart plays and getting the job done.  But the effect of this is nearly magical – Sandin is almost always effective, and the team usually comes out on top when he’s on the ice. (all stats naturalstatrick.com).

The description is similar to how I’d describe T.J Brodie, but the difference is that Brodie is the type of player who’s sneaky-good and who you only notice when he makes errors.  Sandin, on the other hand,  is always noticeable.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Rasmus Sandin

With no goals and just seven assists (three of which came in the same game last week) Sandin isn’t exactly setting the world on fire with his offense, and yet, every game you see him do something great with the puck that leads to a chance.

Sandin leads the Leafs blue-line with a 58% puck-possession rating, and the team gets three more shots and four more scoring chances with him on the ice per hour, than without him.

Sandin also leads the Leafs blue-line in expected goals percentage, but his on-ice shooting percentage is last, which means he isn’t getting the goals he deserves, and subsequently, some of his great play goes unnoticed.

He creates a lot of offense, and part of the problem is just that the Leafs aren’t scoring 5v5 like they should be. When this comes, he will rain down the points.  He also gets a lot of PP time on the second unit, and if the PP scuffles, he’ll get a shot to replace Rielly.

Either way, if he’s available in your hockey pool, he’s a smart add.  The Leafs have developed a potential star player here, and it’s not crazy to think he’ll be the Leafs best defenseman by next year.

The big take away here, however, is that the Leafs have finally developed a player outside the top-ten who is going to make an impact.  Last year the question was “Is Sandin a legit NHL player?” Now the question is “star or superstar?”