Rasmus Sandin cracks the door open for two Maple Leafs hopefuls

TORONTO — William Nylander shares more than an agent, a friendship and a national flag with Rasmus Sandin.

Nylander understands exactly how it feels to sit and wait an ocean away as the Toronto Maple Leafs open up training camp and roll along without you. And how much the occasional check-in from a busy teammate meant to him.

As such, Nylander has made a point of staying in touch with Sandin during the 22-year-old’s contractual standoff.

“I spoke to him (Friday) tomorrow just to see how it’s going. Hopefully something will be found out soon,” says Nylander.

“Obviously he wants to be here. I mean, I’ve been in the same place, and all you want to do is be here. Hopefully that will be clarified shortly.”

Sandin is a MIA RFA whose destiny is TBD.

The sides are talking, which is something considering negotiations stalled over the summer. Yet even with decent comparisons of different tenures on paper (Liljegren? Mikey Anderson? Erik Brannstrom?), the bridge remains under construction.

“He’s an important player for us and we hope to have him here as soon as possible,” general manager Kyle Dubas said on Wednesday. “That’s all I’m going to say.”

The landscape that Sandin could return to has changed.

The injured veteran Jake Muzzin (back pain) still has to go on the ice in the training camp. (After four days off, all eyes will be on whether Muzzin returns on Monday.) And Timothy Liljegren (hernia) has been sidelined for six weeks.

Sandin’s sticking point was never just money. It’s also roller and ice age.

Depending on your angle, the Leafs’ ailing blue line could spur action from Dubas to bring in a healthy talent. But it should also spur Sandin on.

Because if he doesn’t gobble up those vacated layers, someone else will.

And cheaper for that.

That’s where Victor Mete and Jamie Benn come in, two left-handers in the NHL who signed a one-year, $750,000 contract as UFAs with Toronto over the summer in anticipation of an opportunity like this.

“We were looking for right-handed depth (in the free hand), but we like these guys better than some of the other options,” says coach Sheldon Keefe.

Sandin has beaten Mete and Benn when it comes to youth, potential and first-round pedigree.

But both Mete (236 GP) and Benn (595) have more big league experience than Sandin (88). Both play comfortably on the right side. And both are there.

They skated as partners in the Leafs’ exhibition loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

“Both were really good. They just look like guys playing in the NHL, which is what they were really signed to do – added depth for us,” beams Keefe.

“They seem to be at a higher level than some of the other guys out here, some of the other depth options. There’s definitely a division between them and some of the guys who don’t have the same experience. So it just shows why we added guys like this.

“We have some injuries here early in camp that have created additional opportunities.”

After Keefe threw Mete out of necessity on Power Play Friday, Keefe said the 24-year-old playmaker sparked a discussion among his staff.

“Mete was a real highlight for us in this respect. It was something eye-opening for us. Because we didn’t necessarily see it in that light,” says Keefe. “That was really positive. I liked his ability to step in and do that.”

Benn, 35, is a quick-witted defender who can pinch the PK, punch out and land a hit without blinking. His game is simple and hard, intelligent and calm. A low-maintenance body that loves to plug holes.

“I watched the Maple Leafs and hated playing them. And somehow I wanted to be on that side of things for once,” says Benn. “The big boys here are going to be logging the big minutes and I can just take a few minutes and be physically fit.

“Whatever the coaching staff is asking of me, no matter how long they want me on the ice, I’m just going to come in with an open mind and work as hard as I can.”

Cases for Benn and Mete were boosted by a few elite references before receiving offers in Toronto.

The former has a close relationship with former Dallas Stars teammate Jason Spezza, who now serves as Dubas’ assistant. Spezza’s voice contributed significantly to making the match.

The latter is a boy from Woodbridge, Ontario who works closely with Mitch Marner and predates their London Knights days.

Since Mete signed on July 14, the day of his rehearsal dinner, a pile of wedding favors adorned with the Leafs logo arrived.

“We celebrated a lot that night,” says Marner. “Lots of happy Leaf fans in this room, I can tell you that.”

Management asked Marner for a mete scouting report during the recruitment process.

“He’s such a smooth skater on the ice, and that fits our lineup really well,” says Marner. “Our style of play is to get a lot of people to join the rush and play on it.”

Mete thinks his instincts match the Leafs’: “I like moving pucks fast. And if you can get them to the strikers they have here, they can make a difference.”

Depending on how things are going with Muzzin and Liljegren – and, more specifically, Sandin – Mete and Benn position themselves to make a difference themselves.

Standoffs are never fun, but at least the Maple Leafs are getting a glimpse of their depth. And maybe there is something positive for Sandin too.

“I mean, he has to skip the skating test,” Nylander says, smiling.

‘Maybe he’ll have to do it when he comes back. We will see.”

Fox’s Fast 5: Double Header Edition

• If the Maple Leafs plan to unveil a new Goal song after four years of “You Make My Dreams,” they won’t be doing it at an exhibition. Hall & Oates smashed six times at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday as Toronto split Ottawa in the preseason, winning the matinee 4-1 and dropping the nightcap 4-2.

I’ve been a fan of personalized goal songs for a long time. Matthews’ tune seems like a no-brainer.

• Calle Järnkrok scored twice on his debut as a Maple Leaf (and came close to a hat-trick), played on both special teams and reaped excellent offensive substitutions alongside Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting.

“I don’t know if there’s a better way to come onto a new team and feel a part of things,” says Keefe. “But I also think he has the skills to be able to play (top six).”

If you keep shooting like this, he’s a strong contender for second on the left wing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.

• Before hitting the gym this summer, Justin Holl – scorer of the NHL’s second preseason goal – explored Paris and Italy.

“Actually, I’m not a wine connoisseur,” admits Holl. “I think it was slightly offensive to some Italians.”

• Nylander looked ready for October yesterday.

The winger has switched to a tinted visor after suffering from ocular migraines last season. So far it helps.

• How about Ottawa’s Maxence Guenette stretch pass?

The seventh-placed man caused a stir with Belleville last season. A 21-year-old right-winger with vision. Unsolicited, coach DJ Smith emphasized that Guenette had done many good things on the ice.

• The more I watch, the more I believe Zach Aston-Reese will make the Leafs. Good sign: He’s wearing the #12, not just any linebacker boot camp number. Better Sign: He finishes checks hard and makes the easy smart play.

“A lot of his playing just won’t really catch your eye unless you really pay close attention to the detail and texture he’s playing with,” says Keefe. “He showed a really strong game today.”

• Trying hard to impress: Wayne Simmonds.

“All I can do is control what I can do, right? And that means going out there and working my ass off every shift,” says Simmonds.

• I wonder what was going through Adam Gaudette’s mind as he stepped out for PP1, looking around and seeing Nylander, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Mark Giordano.

• Dylan Ferguson may be on a PTO, but “Fergy” already has a custom painted Leafs mask. He and Ilya Samsonov played 60 perfect minutes together in their Leafs “debuts.”

• Keefe arrived at the Scotiabank Arena just after 6am on Saturday morning. By the time Game 1 wrapped, the coach said it felt like 10pm. “I haven’t seen daylight yet.”

His workday was only half done.