Capitals sign Sandin to 5-year contract extension

The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Rasmus Sandin to a five-year contract extension, securing one of their youngest defensemen before he hit restricted free agency.

Sandin’s contract, starting in 2024-25, will carry an average annual value of $4.6 million. His previous deal was for two years and $1.4 million annually, signed when he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sandin, who turns 24 on Thursday, has 20 points in 52 games this season and ranks second on the Capitals in ice time per game (21:19), a high for his five-year NHL career.

The Capitals acquired Sandin from the Leafs in February 2023 for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round draft pick that Washington had previously acquired from the Boston Bruins in the Dmitry Orlov trade.

Washington now has seven defensemen signed for next season.