And if he turns out bad?

Even if he doesn't stack up to the Perennial Norris hype TOR fans give him... He isn't going to accept that contract. Look at what Nurse just got.

***EDIT*** ALTHOUGH...could you imagine a team giving an offersheet of 2 years $4.1M? TOR would get a 2nd round pick.

Why would Sandin do that? He’s barely played and a 2 year bridge walks him into at least another 20 mil on a long term deal.

If history has taught me anything it's that when Toronto signs a young player to term based on unrealized potential/to get ahead of the cap for future years it triggers a new pandemic. This one transaction could lead to an outbreak of Gorilla pox or something

Actually I like the thought of a Sandin long term signing. There isn't cap for Niederreiter. Those RFAs aren't taking a pay reduction...they would be UFAs getting better deals elsewhere.

You don't commit 8 years and big money to a guy that's played less than half a season in the league, that's the worst management of a player you can do. Sandin is on his way to a 3 year bridge deal to prove what he is. He's been inconsistent in his time so far, and nothing says you commit to him long term. Unless he wins the Norris Trophy unanimously this season, he'll be getting a bridge deal. Use your head, not your heart.

Sandin hasn't shown that he can be anything more then a fringe NHL defenseman. Age and potential are definitely on his side and most would bet he becomes a stable NHL dman. But Leaf fans need to pump the breaks on expectations with Sandin. We need to keep in mind that alot of NHL teams have a prospect in a similar catagory as Sandin. In my opinion id like to see 200 games of NHL work before i pay him as a quality NHLer

You could say that about pretty much any good young player. 8.2Mx2 for Kaprizov you get a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd for him or Dach for 8.2Mx3 and you get a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd for him.

Offersheets like that just don't happen...



Why did Girard sign his deal?

This deal pays Sandin 36M dollars and he is set for life. What if he takes a bridge deal and gets injured and can't play anymore?



Sometimes you gotta take risks to get the best contracts like MacKinnon's. Imagine if he turns into a top pairing D man, they've been asking for 8M+ dollars into their mid 30s.

Girard is a 30 pt defenseman that had 3 plus seasons to prove himself along with giving himself another go at UFA when he’s 28. Girard is not a good comparable. Sandin likely wants a couple years to show he can be Morgan Reilly and not Sam Girard.

It’s about maximizing his lifetime earnings, which this contract does not do.

Actually Girard will be 29 when his contract expires and Sandin would be 29 when this contract expires so that argument doesn't make any sense. Mike Matheson took a big 8 year extension from Florida and its been paying off very nicely for him (just another example for you).

This deal also allows the contract to be front loaded increasing his money available for investments. 36M guaranteed and a chance to get another big contract in 8 years if you play well or 6M and having the stress of trying to prove yourself for the next 3 years just to get the contract that was originally being offered to you.

If I’m a guy being offered an 8 year deal after playing 30 games, there’s a good chance I’m being low balled.

I guess that's what Kaprizov is thinking... except he's actually getting lowballed.