Yahoo Sports Amid Upgrades To Capitals Blue Line, Expect Big Year For Sandin; How An 'Honest' Exit Interview Inspired Defenseman To Rebound
The Washington Capitals did quite a bit to revamp their blue line this season, but amid all the changes, it's also important to keep an eye on one of the team's rising top-4 blueliners: Rasmus Sandin.
Sandin is coming off a bit of a rough first full season with the Capitals, where he had just three goals and 20 assists in 68 games while posting a plus/minus rating of minus-13.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shared on 32 Thoughts that Sandin said he had an honest exit meeting with head coach Spencer Carbery, where the bench boss agreed with Sandin that he didn't have a great year and that he can do a lot to improve.
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That said, looking at D.C.'s offseason and Sandin's trajectory, there's reason to expect a big year from the Swedish blueliner.
First, Washington brought in two strong additions in Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy to help bolster the blue line, and both will be largely beneficial to Sandin's growth.
Chychrun, an offesnive-minded left-hand blueliner, can help guide Sandin in the right direction and develop into a stronger puck-mover while finding consistency when it comes to production.
All the while, Roy could very well complement Sandin on the second pairing. Roy plays a solid shutdown game and possesses great skating ability, while he's also able to move the puck up ice and join the rush to boot.
Then, of course, is Carbery's coaching. Carbery has been able to help his younger players reach new heights, and in his second full season and D.C. still adjusting to his systems, expect Sandin to try and continue to improve in accordance with Carbery's plan.
Friedman mentioned that Sandin worked hard this offseason to improve in different areas, and a strong summer could be exactly what the 24-year-old needs to take his game to the next level.
Overall, expect big things for the rising blueliner as he continues to find his game and begins his five-year extension with D.C.
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