Tribute Rasmus Sandin Discussion Thread

[SeaOfBlue]

Sandin is great on the power play though. Dermott has hands of stone.

Rasmus Sandin has played 20 PP minutes so far this year (through 10 games). He has yet to be on the ice for a goal for on the PP. He has been on the ice for two goals against on the PP. PK's have around a 20% conversion rate against him and he has a 0% rate against them. That is not "great", that is terrible.

This guy is a PP specialist at best right now and he is already a -2 this season on the PP. He failed to keep the puck in on a couple of occasions yesterday because he couldn't skate fast enough to close off the point... Things that Rielly has been able to do with ease. Otherwise, all he had was one pass to a wide open Matthews. Nothing else he did was anything special on the PP.

Dermott is better than Sandin right now, and we need the best guys in the lineup. Fortunately for Sandin, much like Thornton, he is getting another chance. If he doesn't become a difference maker, then Dermott is going to come in and at least provide value on the bottom pairing. We will go back to using Brodie or Muzzin on the PP.

Muzzin: 26 minutes played; 2GF; 0GA
Brodie: 40 minutes played; 6GF; 2GA.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

You'd think they'd have had him focus on his straight-line speed in the past year & change since he was barely playing any organized hockey. No sure what they had him doing instead.

Media fed BS is he was working on his strength .. well let me tell you something else .. he has a very very strong core strength already .. issue is stride length pure and simple .. once he listens to Barb and lengthens it he will be fine .. but of course speed is hard to improve so it may not happen and he may still bust

 

[Doublerum1975]

How do you go from sitting in the press box to on the number one pp unit he’s still a rookie to much pressure on the kid

 

[Gallagbi]

How do you go from sitting in the press box to on the number one pp unit he’s still a rookie to much pressure on the kid

By being an offensive option with the worst PP in the league over 2-3 months.

 

[Doublerum1975]

By being an offensive option with the worst PP in the league over 2-3 months.

The kids a rookie you put him under that pressure to fix the power play in a playoff game????

 

[Gallagbi]

The kids a rookie you put him under that pressure to fix the power play in a playoff game????

Why do you think he was solely responsible for fixing it when there were other changes made as well?

 

[Doublerum1975]

Why do you think he was solely responsible for fixing it when there were other changes made as well?

Do tell me what was he put there for?

 

[7even]

Time to pull the plug on this experiment at this point in time. His straight-line speed is still horrendous and it lead directly to the winning goal. It’s not like Sandin is performing any miracles on the PP where he is an absolute necessity.

Get him outta there and get Dermott back in there ASAP.

His skating did him no favors on the goal but 1) Byron is a very fast player and 2) that was on the back of another atrocious offensive zone turnover from Thornton. It's not the defenseman's sole responsibility to prevent breakaways on the PP, your forwards have to be at least mildly self-aware. He outlets very well, is a better distributor on the PP than Rielly, and plays physical. There's a shortage of perfect players on this team so you may as well use the rest at what they're good at. Don't lose the forest for the trees. He played well yesterday.

 

[Stephen]

How do you go from sitting in the press box to on the number one pp unit he’s still a rookie to much pressure on the kid

Don't think of it as pressure. Think of the Leafs putting him in those offensive roles because it suits his skillset and because has suddenly found itself with a lack of offensive defensemen.

 

[Stephen]

His skating did him no favors on the goal but 1) Byron is a very fast player and 2) that was on the back of another atrocious offensive zone turnover from Thornton. It's not the defenseman's sole responsibility to prevent breakaways on the PP, your forwards have to be at least mildly self-aware. He outlets very well, is a better distributor on the PP than Rielly, and plays physical. There's a shortage of perfect players on this team so you may as well use the rest at what they're good at. Don't lose the forest for the trees. He played well yesterday.

In a game of inches he was pretty close to knocking that puck into the corner, but if you're going into a takedown situation and likely to take a penalty anyway it might have been worth it to just tackle the guy at that point. Judgment call for the individual player.

 

[nuck]

His skating did him no favors on the goal but 1) Byron is a very fast player and 2) that was on the back of another atrocious offensive zone turnover from Thornton. It's not the defenseman's sole responsibility to prevent breakaways on the PP, your forwards have to be at least mildly self-aware. He outlets very well, is a better distributor on the PP than Rielly, and plays physical. There's a shortage of perfect players on this team so you may as well use the rest at what they're good at. Don't lose the forest for the trees. He played well yesterday.

But the thing is all he does is distribute. 14:40 TOI isn't big minutes but he had just 9 SOG in 9 games and at 1:40pp time was the #2 Leaf D man. 1 SOG against the Habs and that wasn't in his 4:37pp time.
To me he is a much better ES player than pp guy at this point and should not be used ahead of players who have actually scored on the pp. I don't know if he would be more effective with someone else coaching the pp (which applies to the whole club) but thats a question for next season. This team had better success in 17 and 18 with Rielly and the forwards carrying the pp so not sure why they need to reinvent what worked unless we assume other clubs have the "book" on the earlier pp.

 

[Doublerum1975]

Don't think of it as pressure. Think of the Leafs putting him in those offensive roles because it suits his skillset and because has suddenly found itself with a lack of offensive defensemen.

This isn't a knock on sandin i really like him but there's a lot of pressure put on him and looked what happened

 

[Griffin76]

Sandin is great on the power play though. Dermott has hands of stone.

This just isn't true. Sandin has better hands for sure and better offensive upside but Dermott does not have hands of stone.

 

[Boxscore]

This isn't a knock on sandin i really like him but there's a lot of pressure put on him and looked what happened

The Sandin play was tricky. Let's be honest, 9 times out of 10, the player going the other way doesn't score a Peter Forsberg-like trick shot goal while falling down. Thornton botched the play from the beginning and Sandin was caught flat-footed. The one thing, however, that I noticed with Sandin last night is that he seemed to be skating in quicksand on multiple occasions.

 

[Le Cobra]

Byrons goal was a fluke that happens 1/10000 tries

 

[Boxscore]

Byrons goal was a fluke that happens 1/10000 tries

Give Byron tons of credit, but I agree completely. If Campbell makes the save and the Leafs end up winning the game, that play is an afterthought.

 

[Doublerum1975]

The Sandin play was tricky. Let's be honest, 9 times out of 10, the player going the other way doesn't score a Peter Forsberg-like trick shot goal while falling down. Thornton botched the play from the beginning and Sandin was caught flat-footed. The one thing, however, that I noticed with Sandin last night is that he seemed to be skating in quicksand on multiple occasions.

Oh i agree it started with Thornton he should sit in my opinion

 

[Boxscore]

Oh i agree it started with Thornton he should sit in my opinion

I don't think you can sit a vet like Thornton two games into the playoffs. Kids like Matthews and Marner absolutely love him--you don't mess with the room like that IMO.

 

[ChickenMcNugget]

I don't think you can sit a vet like Thornton two games into the playoffs. Kids like Matthews and Marner absolutely love him--you don't mess with the room like that IMO.

he sucks though...

 

[Doublerum1975]

I don't think you can sit a vet like Thornton two games into the playoffs. Kids like Matthews and Marner absolutely love him--you don't mess with the room like that IMO.

Nothing wrong with sitting him he's to slow for this series

 

[ruaware41]

I don't think you can sit a vet like Thornton two games into the playoffs. Kids like Matthews and Marner absolutely love him--you don't mess with the room like that IMO.

Idk if MM have much grounds to complain given their contract and lack of production in the playoffs. They should suck it up frankly. If Joe doesn’t do a good enough job he shouldn’t play.

 

[sxvnert]

Neither Sandin or Rielly have a shot from the point that needs to be respected. Different player, same issue.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Rasmus Sandin has played 20 PP minutes so far this year (through 10 games). He has yet to be on the ice for a goal for on the PP. He has been on the ice for two goals against on the PP. PK's have around a 20% conversion rate against him and he has a 0% rate against them. That is not "great", that is terrible.

This guy is a PP specialist at best right now and he is already a -2 this season on the PP. He failed to keep the puck in on a couple of occasions yesterday because he couldn't skate fast enough to close off the point... Things that Rielly has been able to do with ease. Otherwise, all he had was one pass to a wide open Matthews. Nothing else he did was anything special on the PP.

Dermott is better than Sandin right now, and we need the best guys in the lineup. Fortunately for Sandin, much like Thornton, he is getting another chance. If he doesn't become a difference maker, then Dermott is going to come in and at least provide value on the bottom pairing. We will go back to using Brodie or Muzzin on the PP.

Muzzin: 26 minutes played; 2GF; 0GA
Brodie: 40 minutes played; 6GF; 2GA.

This is all well and good and true, but Sandin is the GM’s little pet and therefore will continue to get preferential treatment. Something tells me Sandin will play today, though he absolutely deserves to be scratched.

 

[Leafsdude7]

Why do you think he was solely responsible for fixing it when there were other changes made as well?

Other changes like what? Move everyone another 5 feet from the goal crease and keep the puck even higher up on the parameter than before?

 

[Boxscore]

Neither Sandin or Rielly have a shot from the point that needs to be respected. Different player, same issue.

If Seth Jones decides he wants to move on from Columbus, he's the player the Leafs need to absolutely target at all costs.