Rasmus Sandin looks to be X factor in 2023-24

What the Washington Capitals did last trade deadline was a little bit short of a fire sale. But the biggest addition to the team was none other than defenseman Rasmus Sandin.

When the trade happened, fellow FanSided blog Editor in Leaf tweeted that they weren’t a fan of the move. It had us at Stars and Sticks curious.

A few games in and our cousins on the other site were onto something.

Sandin played in 19 games following the trade and was a bright spot even as the Capitals were struggling down the stretch. He had three goals and 12 assists for 15 points.

Sandin did get hurt at the IIHF Worlds but it wasn’t severe and he should be ready to go come training camp time. That’s good news and even better news considering this defenseman is only 23 years old.

Sandin, Martin Fehervary, and Alex Alexeyev are all 23. Those three defenseman will be very important to the Capitals present and future plans.

Earlier in the IIHF World Championships tournament, Sandin spoke of the trade to the media. The following quote comes from this article by Jon Sorensen of NoVa Caps which he translated to English via Google Translate:

"“I was shocked when everything happened. But once I got there, it went very well. It’s been a lot of fun and it’s been a rekindling. It has been incredibly fun.”"

You may remember seeing a video on Twitter after the Sandin trade of the young defenseman leaving Maple Leafs practice early. That was when he found out. Obviously going from a Cup contender to a team trying an on the fly retool isn’t the most attractive path in the business whether it’s in your control or not.

Regardless, Sandin made the most of it. And the Capitals are excited to see what this kid can bring to the defense this upcoming season.