Tribute Rasmus Sandin Discussion Thread

[Stephen]

Sandin past the half line looks like a #2 defensemen, very poised with the puck. Has amazing offensive IQ, has a good shot, solid passer. He’s very good on the rush too

Sandin before the half line looks like a rookie #5-6 defensemen, if the puck is dumped into the corner and chased after, he’s likely to lose it. Needs to be stronger on the boards. This is where i find Liljegren to be better than him, when the pucks on the boards, Liljegren can usually keep it there or transition it to another guy better than Sandin. This part of his game is going to get better as he plays I think.
If he got his foot speed up I see a top pairing guy for his ceiling
I’m really impressed by Sandin this season. He’s taking strides in the right direction

I'm curious as to what the Leafs are grooming him to be or envisioning him to be. Somewhere between an Adam Fox and a TJ Brodie perhaps. Like if he ever had the wheels to match his brain and composure he could be very special and a big offensive threat but if not, does he top out as a really intelligent defenseman who doesn't necessarily produce or 'defend' but is adept at controlling the transition aspects of the game, easy zone exits to keeping the puck alive.

 

[Brobust]

I'm curious as to what the Leafs are grooming him to be or envisioning him to be. Somewhere between an Adam Fox and a TJ Brodie perhaps. Like if he ever had the wheels to match his brain and composure he could be very special and a big offensive threat but if not, does he top out as a really intelligent defenseman who doesn't necessarily produce or 'defend' but is adept at controlling the transition aspects of the game, easy zone exits to keeping the puck alive.

He's 22nd among d-men in primary assists/60 (minimum 200 minutes played) despite having a 5% on ice sh%.

He'll put up great offensive numbers. That's never going to be a worry.

 

[Aashir]

I'm curious as to what the Leafs are grooming him to be or envisioning him to be. Somewhere between an Adam Fox and a TJ Brodie perhaps. Like if he ever had the wheels to match his brain and composure he could be very special and a big offensive threat but if not, does he top out as a really intelligent defenseman who doesn't necessarily produce or 'defend' but is adept at controlling the transition aspects of the game, easy zone exits to keeping the puck alive.

I suspect we see where his game is taken in the next year or two. By then he should polish his game up more and his strengths and flaws will then determine his role. I think if he gets his skating up, we should look for it to be a Rielly Brodie hybrid. He could be a very solid two way defensemen who has the ability to make smart, cerebral plays out of his zone and inside the oppositions zone and has a decent ability to stop the cycle and play on the boards.

His PP opportunity will be interesting as Rielly has just inked an 8 year deal so he’s have some serious competition to ever take over pp1.

 

[James Blackley]

I suspect we see where his game is taken in the next year or two. By then he should polish his game up more and his strengths and flaws will then determine his role. I think if he gets his skating up, we should look for it to be a Rielly Brodie hybrid. He could be a very solid two way defensemen who has the ability to make smart, cerebral plays out of his zone and inside the oppositions zone and has a decent ability to stop the cycle and play on the boards.

His PP opportunity will be interesting as Rielly has just inked an 8 year deal so he’s have some serious competition to ever take over pp1.

I'd take Sandin over Rielly on the top unit- Rielly has too much of a little girl shot to be effective. Sandin OTOH has a bomb that gets through, we need that.

 

[Aashir]

I'd take Sandin over Rielly on the top unit- Rielly has too much of a little girl shot to be effective. Sandin OTOH has a bomb that gets through, we need that.

It’s up for debate on who to have

the powerplay is doing well rn, but it usually dries up with Rielly there as it has for the past 3 years.

with Sandin there, if the puck is bobbled on the line, it’s a breakaway for the other team, his speed is a concern rn as he’s been beaten multiple times over the 2 years when he runs that unit

either you get the shot but the risk of getting a SHG against is higher or you get good mobility but less of a shot. The former will be mitigated over time as Sandin learns when to retreat from a puck and just defend even on the pp, and the latter can be fixed if Matthews and Marner take more dominant passing and shooting roles on the power play and are effective doing so

 

[crump]

Looking pretty poised and comfortable out there. Just starting out too. Big year for him and Liljegren. They are going to be big parts of this team going forward.

 

[Voodoo Child]

He needs to improve his strength and speed which will come, and develop his instincts in the D zone.

His first pass is excellent, but he doesn't do well against big, fast forechecks, that'll get better as he gets exp and str.

He's a gambler and sometimes gets burned - but that happens to everyone - Hedman stunk up the building when they beat Tampa, and he always gets right back at it.

He's not afraid to throw the odd hit, we all remember him smoking big bad Wheeler last year.

There's room to grow in his D game but he isn't Brett Lebda here, 21 years old and he's 'okay' defensively in the best league in the world, which is fine.

But then he's very good moving the puck with the Leafs' quick forwards, he has a shot that will be a weapon if he can get it off quicker and he always gets it through, he has the hands of a forward, he's great on his edges, he knows when to pinch and he understands how to play on the power play.

He has ice in his veins, no panic.

The offensive instincts are elite across the board, he plays a cerebral game.

Its amazing that he's this good already, he's a top-4 Dman right now and he's only 21, learning from Brodie and Rielly will be huge for him.

I'm thinking he becomes a 20-22 minute #2 who ends up running the top PP and the second PK, 35-45 points a season, your top-10 pick becomes Sandin and you're happy.

But then I think he could become even more - not Norris better, more like better than Mo more.

 

[zeke]

Looking like he might be our best dman sooner than later.

 

[Cecithepylon]

He’s awesome

 

[Amadeus]

Looking like he might be our best dman sooner than later.

He definitely looks like a legit top 4 D already and considering he's 21, he'll just get better!

 

[123offtheglass]

Not sure if updates on Sandman should go into a new thread or here? Really hope it's not overly serious or as serious as it looked. Here's the play:

 

[Advanced stats]

What knee was his bad knee prior to this?

 

[123offtheglass]

Here's it slowed down

 

[cookie]

Trash behavior by a guy that went after Marner a little while back. You don't sprint 50ft to hit a guy that's gonna score on an empty net and you certainly don't stick your leg out in this fashion to potentially end a guy's season. Absolute disgrace of a hockey player.

 

[34]

What knee was his bad knee prior to this?

This looks to be an ACL. That is a nasty injury.

 

[Mitchy]

He's been sensational this season. So poised and confident. He's already a great third pairing d-man and could play higher in the lineup if not for us already having 2 great LDs in Mo and Muzzin.

Just awful to see this injury to such a promising player. Hopefully, the injury isn't serious and he's not out too long, but the replays and his limping looked really bad.

 

[mapleleaf979]

This looks to be an ACL. That is a nasty injury.

Thats right its looks like ACL, 6 months out. The minimum is meniscus tear, judging by Sandin's pain, it looks ACL but I hope im wrong.

 

[zeke]

Here's it slowed down

Turned his leg out after getting beat.

Classic dirty knee.

 

[34]

Thats right its looks like ACL, 6 months out. The minimum is meniscus tear, judging by Sandin's pain, it looks ACL but I hope im wrong.

I hope I am wrong as well, but I am an ortho guy for a living. Sure looks like the ACL…but may not be. Could be a tibial plateau fracture and so on. He has already had X-rays and an MRI I would assume. Hope for the best.

 

[34]

Turned his leg out after getting beat.

Classic dirty knee.

Yup, total garbage plus. Dirty dirty dirty!

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Obviously we don't know how bad it is, but that didn't look good. He couldn't put any weight on his leg, at all. It'll be a miracle if there's no ligament damage. Pionk is a f***ing rat.

 

[ponder]

Pionk is an absolute garbage human being. This was an intentional knee on knee, the same as the intentional dirty plays he’s pulling constantly. Hope we destroy him non-stop next time we play the Jets.

Hope Sandin is OK, but there’s certainly a decent chance that’s an ACL tear, and his season is done.

 

[francis246]

Thats right its looks like ACL, 6 months out. The minimum is meniscus tear, judging by Sandin's pain, it looks ACL but I hope im wrong.

ACL injuries are more like 3-4 months now with the way rehab and medicine has advanced. Especially with these athletes being in great shape you can come back from ACL tears much quicker than ever.

 

[34]

ACL injuries are more like 3-4 months now with the way rehab and medicine has advanced. Especially with these athletes being in great shape you can come back from ACL tears much quicker than ever.

Depends how bad it is. A full ACL reconstruction is a serious procedure.

 

[Sabonis]

I'm not usually one for violent retribution, but someone should have jumped Pionk after that play at some point during the 3rd. I was hoping Richie would have knocked his head off. There were so many fights but nobody was going after that rat Pionk. He's a dirty player, hopefully he gets dealt with next time they play.