Sandin signs 5-year extension
WASHINGTON — Almost a year after Rasmus Sandin made his debut with the Washington Capitals — a moment that came days after he was acquired in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs — the 23-yearold defenseman has signed a five-year contract extension to stay in Washington.
Sandin’s extension, which was announced Wednesday morning, carries an average annual value of $4.6 million, a significant raise over the $1.4 million he earned this season. Sandin was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights but is now locked up with the Capitals through 2029. He will be an unrestricted free agent when the contract expires.
“Big news for the organization, and happy for Sandy to be able to earn that contract,” Washington Coach Spencer Carbery, who also coached Sandin in Toronto, said Wednesday. “For both, for us to have him part of the organization for the extended future, it’s a good thing, so happy for him.”
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Saturday that he’d had some conversations with the agents for Washington’s pending restricted free agents — Sandin, center Connor McMichael and winger Beck Malenstyn — but “nothing serious.” That changed between Saturday and Wednesday, as Washington quickly executed the defenseman’s five-year extension.
The last time Sandin needed a new contract, he and his agent were locked in negotiations with the Maple Leafs for an extended period of time; he signed a two-year deal after training camp began in
September 2022. This time around, the process went much more swiftly.
“[Talks were] a little on and off, I’d say,” Sandin said. “I think we started a conversation a while back a little bit. I’ve been trying to focus on the season and playing good hockey and get points here for the team. I think the last couple days it picked up and got done pretty quick.”
Sandin settled quickly in Washington, and a year into his tenure with the Capitals, he’s eagerly looking ahead to the next five years — and, potentially, beyond.
“It all started a year ago when I got here, and the organization really showed a belief in me and gave me a big opportunity,” Sandin said. “I love it here. Hard to kind of believe still that it’s done, getting a five-year extension. I feel like this is the place that hopefully I will be for the whole five years — at least — too.
“It’s something you’ve been dreaming about and hoping for, but you never really thought it was going to happen. It did, and I’m very happy about it.”
The Capitals traded Erik Gustafsson and a firstround draft pick to Toronto for Sandin on Feb. 28, 2023, and he made his debut March 4 — recording three assists to become the first defenseman in Washington’s history to tally three points in his debut.
This season, Sandin has played a consistent role in the top four and, at times, has skated alongside John Carlson on the top defensive pair. His offense has tailed off from the hot start to his Washington tenure; after recording three goals and 12 assists in just 19 games at the end of last season, he has three goals and 17 assists in 52 games this season.
But Sandin’s defensive game has taken steps forward, and he only recently reached 200 games played, so the young blueliner has plenty of runaway ahead of him to continue to develop in Washington.
“I usually try to take it day by day and try to get better every single day, and hopefully take a little bit of a bigger role in the locker room and become more of a leader, too,” Sandin said. “I’m very excited about it.”