Capitals Acquire Rasmus Sandin For Erik Gustafsson, Pick

The Washington Capitals are bringing in more help on the blue line and have acquired Rasmus Sandin in yet another pre-deadline trade.

Washington has acquired Sandin in exchange for Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick. The pick will be the one that the team acquired from the Boston Bruins as part of the Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway trade.

The move comes just minutes after the Capitals announced they traded Marcus Johansson to the Minnesota Wild for a 2024 third-rounder. Gustafsson had recently finished practice in Anaheim, while Sandin left during Leafs practice in Seattle.

Sandin is a left-handed shot who has four goals and 20 points through 52 games this season for the Maple Leafs. He is a strong skater with good vision and a high hockey IQ, and he can make a good first pass and is strong on the backcheck. The 5-11, 182-pound blueliner is also a cool and collected presence and battles hard, and he doesn't shy away from throwing the body despite his size. He has 113 hits this season.

Washington's acquisition of the 22-year-old defender shows that the team is planning for the future and getting younger. Sandin is signed through 2025 and will become an RFA at the end of next season. He has a cap hit of $1.4 million.

Meanwhile, Gustafsson is a pending UFA and led all Washington blueliners in assists this season. He has 38 points in 61 appearances this season and has been playing top-pairing minutes for a majority of the season while also getting work in on the power play with John Carlson on the long-term injured reserve.

The Swede had expressed his desire to stay with the Capitals, saying that he had fit in well with the team's systems and has also enjoyed raising his three children in the D.C. area. This marks the third time in the last three years that Gustafsson has been traded.