Tonight, Cap Friendly is reporting that Rasmus Sandin, the Leafs’ 2018 first-round draft pick, has been signed to his ELC.

The interesting part of this deal is the total lack of performance bonuses. Later this week, I’ll discuss in more depth the issue of bonuses for the Leafs this season and next, but for now, suffice it to say that for draft picks taken in the lowest parts of the first round, sometimes they have bonuses in their contracts and sometimes they don’t.

You may recall that much (oh, so very much) was made of Auston Matthews’ contract, and the apocryphal story that Lou Lamoriello doesn’t ever give performance bonuses made the rounds. With this contract, we can see that Kyle Dubas negotiated a straight-up maximum-amount ELC with no other bonuses beyond the standard maximum-allowed signing bonus.

The signing bonus is paid out even when players are still in junior, so in the event of a contract slide, almost guaranteed in this case, Sandin will get his $92,500 every July 1 for two more years after this one.

The lump-sum payment helps to pay for those summer vacations in fun locations, and given the rigours of a hockey season, every player should take time to get sand in their shoes.

Cap Friendly currently lists the Leafs with 47 SPCs out of a total of 50 in use, but if Sandin plays in the OHL, his won’t count, and that number will drop back to 46. Either way, that’s lots of room for flexibility during the season if trades or waiver claims present themselves.

Rasmus Sandin has decided not to participate in the WJSS

The Maple Leafs have not yet made this news official.

And while this reads like he’s no longer able to play for Rögle:

That’s not what it means. They’re merely showing who holds the rights with precedence. This deal does not void Sandin’s contract with Rögle, which runs through the coming season.

He may be loaned to the OHL again, or he may play in Sweden, that is yet to be determined.

Maple Leafs Prospects