Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs have addressed most of their issues this off-season, but one that continues to linger is the status of unsigned RFA winger Nick Robertson.
After reports earlier in the summer indicated Robertson requested a trade, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving acknowledged Robertson’s frustration in July while also reinforcing the idea the team wants a solution that keeps him wearing Blue and White.
While a recent TSN report suggests Robertson is no closer to signing a contract with Toronto, the reality is the Maple Leafs hold all the leverage and aren’t about to give Robertson away.
Report: Nick Robertson "sticking to the idea of playing somewhere else" other than the #Leafs this season. ⤵️https://t.co/QDvEli28IXhttps://t.co/QDvEli28IX
— David Alter (@dalter) August 27, 2024
Although Robertson has every right to feel how he wants to feel about his current competitive situation with the Maple Leafs, he won’t be well-served by sitting out and missing NHL training camp and the beginning of next season.
Indeed, taking that negotiating stance would put Robertson behind the eight ball competitively, and the Leafs would be well within their rights to let him sit out as they continue to try to be a top-level team in the Atlantic Division.
Robertson has spent time in the AHL and the NHL in each of the last four seasons. While he’s proven himself with the AHL Marlies, recording 11 points in nine games last season, he could take another step at the NHL level. He had 14 goals and 27 points in 56 games last season, and he’s had 34 points in 87 career games. In the playoffs, he had 11 shots but no points in six games, averaging 9:48 of ice time per match.
Treliving last spoke specifically about Robertson in July, making it clear the organization knows Robertson is disgruntled after being loaned to the Marlies in March. But Treliving made it obvious the Leafs hold the hammer in negotiations.
“I have certainly known that there was some frustration with Nick, but we look at Nick as an excellent player,” Treliving said in early July. “There is great opportunity for Nick (in Toronto). We need him to be a good player for us. I am not going to get into any speculation or public back-and-forth. We will just leave it at that and continue to move forward.”
"There's great opportunity for Nick (Robertson) here".#Leafs GM Brad Treliving didn't confirm or deny reports of the player's wish to be traded.
Can time in the summer cool things down to a point where Robertson returns? ⤵️https://t.co/xEf0fRcvjGhttps://t.co/xEf0fRcvjG— David Alter (@dalter) July 2, 2024
Treliving wasn’t making things up when he said that. The Maple Leafs have a pressing need for help at left wing, which happens to be Robertson’s position.
He doesn’t outrank youngster Matthew Knies on Toronto’s depth chart at left wing, but if he plays his cards right, a spot on the Leafs’ second line at left wing could be well within Roberson’s grasp.
That said, the Leafs aren’t going to simply hand over the second-line spot to the 22-year-old. He will have to earn it under new Leafs coach Craig Berube, and if that sounds too difficult a challenge, that’s on Robertson, not the Leafs.
The best solution for Robertson is to go out, sign a short-term contract, work his tail off and see what transpires from there. Sitting on the sidelines will only make the situation muckier, and there’s no way for his trade value to increase if he doesn’t play anywhere.
If he does grit his teeth and go back to work for the Leafs, and if he’s still unhappy a month or two into the regular season, the Leafs can revisit Robertson’s trade request at that time.
By then, teams could have more of an appetite and the salary cap wherewithal to meet Treliving’s asking price for Robertson. At that stage in the NHL calendar, the focus will be on the Maple Leafs as a whole and not Robertson in particular. That’s the point where Treliving could quietly go to an opposing team and lay out Toronto’s expectations in a Robertson trade.
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Robertson isn’t the first youngster to be unhappy with his current team, and he won’t be the last. But now’s the time for him and his agent to accept they can’t strong-arm the Leafs into moving him. The system is designed to give teams the upper hand on young players still honing their craft with restricted free agency.
Until such time that Robertson has firmly established himself as an above-average NHL regular, he’s best advised to show what he can do in the minutes Berube gives him and carve out a bigger piece of the financial and competitive pies down the line.
Playing this high-stakes game of chicken isn’t ideal for him or the Leafs, and the sooner they put aside the posturing, the better it will be for all involved.
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News Summary:
- Nick Robertson's Frustrations With the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Take a Back Seat
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