Maple Leafs Trade Young Defenseman To Washington Capitals

 Another move by Kyle Dubas.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly traded defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick.

Leafs picks up Erik Gustafsson and a 1st from the Caps for Rasmus Sandin

Are you good with this move Leafs fans? pic.twitter.com/XiiSIi3y7p

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) February 28, 2023

Sandin, a twenty-two-year-old left-handed defenseman, was selected by the Leafs in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

He played in 52 games for Toronto this season, recording four goals and 16 assists while averaging 17:59 of ice time per game. He signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension with the Leafs in September 2022, and will be a restricted free agent when it expires.

Gustafsson, a 30-year-old left-handed defenseman, has seven goals and 31 assists in 61 games for the Capitals this season while playing primarily on the second pairing and averaging 20:22 of ice time per game.

He is currently on a one-year contract worth $800,000 and has played for several other NHL teams in the past, including the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and Montreal Canadiens.

Unless my math is incorrect (always possible), believe this trade still leaves #Leafs ~$550k short of space required to activate Matt Murray.

To #Leafs: Erik Gustafsson, 2023 BOS 1st Rd Pick
To #Caps: Rasmus Sandin

Shrewd deal to get 1st back.

First to report: @FriedgeHNIC.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 28, 2023

The first-round pick going to Toronto was originally owned by the Boston Bruins, and was acquired by the Capitals in a trade that sent Dmitri Orlov to Boston.

The move comes just a day after the Leafs acquired defenseman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty from the Chicago Blackhawks. Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports