Leafs trade down in first round, but still get slick Swedish defender

The Maple Leafs had the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, but in his first draft as team GM, Kyle Dubas traded the pick to St. Louis to move down four places and pick up a third-round pick (76th overall) in the process. And with the 29th overall selection, Toronto came away with Swedish-born defenceman Rasmus Sandin.
The 18-year-old native of Uppsala, Sweden, spent this past season in the Ontario League with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyounds - the same franchise Dubas cut his teeth with as a young executive - and racked up 12 goals and 45 points in 51 games. Those statistics put him first in points among OHL blueliners, third among D-men under 18 years of age, and ninth among blueliners under age 19. And he was thrilled to join one of the game's most storied franchises.

"To get drafted (to Toronto), with all the fans and with how the city is, it's all about hockey which I really love," Sandin said Friday night. "It's an unreal feeling."
In the NHL's final Central Scouting Repor, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was ranked North America's 11th-best North American prospect. He's seen as a patient, crafty defender who makes wise decisions and is particularly adept at handling the puck. The Leafs have enough depth on the back end to not need Sandin's services at the NHL level right away, but they'll also give him every opportunity to make a solid impression, both at the organization's development camp beginning this coming week, and at training camp come the Fall.
"We took the player that our scouts had as the best player on our board," Dubas said. "We're happy that we got the guy that we wanted, regardless of where he played."
Toronto's draft continues Saturday in Dallas, and barring any other transactions, the Leafs will have seven more selections to make: one in the second round (52nd overall, from the San Jose Sharks); two in the third round (St. Louis' at No. 76 and San Jose's at No. 83); one in the fourth round (118th overall); one in the fifth round (149th overall); and two in the seventh round (209th overall from Anaheim, and their own at 211th overall).