Sandin fires shot at Leafs, reveals contract holdout was never about money or opportunity

There was plenty of discussion about the reason or reasons why it took so long for Rasmus Sandin to sign the same extension that Timothy Liljegren signed 4 months prior and they all appeared to boil down to money, playing time or both. However, those rumors are the furthest thing from the truth as Sandin revealed during a one-on-one interview with The Athletic's Joshua Kloke.

Sandin revealed the real reason why it took him until training camp to sign a new deal with the Leafs. "What people don't know is that my mom got sick in the beginning of 2022. She got cancer. She had some serious surgeries. We had a really tough time as a family that summer. That's a big part of why I stayed at home, so I could spend time with her. People don't know about that. That's fine with me because I knew it, and Toronto knew it and they were fine with it. To be honest, my head wasn't (in Toronto). For me, family comes first. My head wasn't in hockey to go back to Toronto to sign a contract (in June)," Sandin said. "It was important to have my mom's back."

Hearing that, I can empathize with Sandin, as both my brother and father have battled cancer, and it takes a toll on everyone mentally, emotionally and physically. The last thing you want to do when you get that kind of news is be away from your family - especially for work.

Further along in his interview, Sandin also clarified that he never asked for a trade out of Toronto, even with the influx of new defensemen that Kyle Dubas had acquired ahead of the deadline. He also stated that it's his intention to show the Leafs they made a mistake by trading him to Washington. Despite Kyle Dubas sending him somewhere where he'd have an opportunity to play the minutes he believes he deserves, it appears as though Sandin is none too pleased with the young Leafs GM.