Sandin OK with staying on Marlies after world juniors
Let Rasmus Sandin continue to ripen. That’s the outlook the Toronto Maple Leafs will carry forward with their top prospect after Sandin starred for Sweden at the 2020 world junior championship.
The 19- year- old was selected as the tournament’s best defenceman, recording 10 points ( three goals and seven assists) in seven games as Sweden won the bronze medal.
Sandin is back with the AHL’S Toronto Marlies, resulting in disappointment for a pocket of Leafs Nation that figured Sandin has demonstrated enough to be recalled to the Leafs.
So for now, Sandin remains with the Marlies.
“That’s the plan,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said on Tuesday. “He’s an important player for our future, but we feel like we’ve been going pretty well here as a group ( even) without ( Jake) Muzzin (nursing a broken foot).
“We recognize whether it’s ( Timothy) Liljegren or Sandin, that both guys are right there and they’re playing lots. They’re part of things with us and we’re keeping an eye on what’s happening and we’re communicating a lot. We know they’re only a call away if we need to make a change or add somebody because of injury.”
Sandin wasn’t crestfallen to learn he would not be promoted to the National Hockey League.
“You want to play up there, but my focus is to play back here with the Marlies and that’s where I am right now,” Sandin said on Tuesday. “I’m not trying to look ahead too much.”
There’s never a guarantee that players loaned to their respective country for the world juniors from a professional club will dominate, but that’s what Sandin did in the Czech Republic, leading all defencemen in scoring.
“I think I met my expectations pretty well,” Sandin said. “It was more about the team. We wanted to go in and get the gold medal and we didn’t do that, but individually I think played pretty well.
“It gave me pretty good confidence. I’m ready to get back at it.”
The Leafs who watched from afar were impressed.
“When you get sent to that tournament and are expected to dominate, and then go do it, when you leave there you know you’re done with that level of hockey,” centre Jason Spezza said. “He established he is one of the best players in his age group and now he has to have that consistency at pro, which from all accounts sounds like he is doing.
“There’s no doubt he’s going to be an NHL player and probably for a long time. He suits how we want to play. It’s just a matter of when and where and how they see him working best.”
Said defenceman Morgan Rielly: “I hope he really benefits from it. He should have all the confidence in the world. It’s huge.”
Sandin got his feet wet with the Leafs out of training camp, averaging 12 minutes 13 seconds in six games before he was sent to the Marlies. He saw the positives that could come from playing on the Leafs’ third pair or logging a majority of the minutes on the blue line with the farm team.
“It was just good to be around the big names (with the Leafs in October) and great hockey players and just see how they act on and off the ice, I learned a lot from that,” Sandin said. “But at the same time, coming down and playing a lot, it gives you a lot of confidence. That’s how you build your game. Both ways are good, but right now I’m with Marlies and I’m excited for that.”
If Sandin plays in a 10th game for the Leafs this season, the first year of his entry-level contract will kick in.
We know this: At some point, Sandin will have another opportunity to learn under Keefe, whose guidance with the Marlies helped Sandin prosper after the Leafs chose him 29th overall in 2018.
“He had a really good impact on my performance last year and this year as well ( before Keefe was promoted on Nov. 20, replacing Mike Babcock),” Sandin said. “He let me play my game. Coming into the American League as an 18- year- old is not the easiest thing, but he gave me ice time and he trusted me.
“I’ve been happy with how I’ve had him as a coach.”