Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Out for Season

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson is having shoulder surgery and will be out of the lineup for six months.  He will miss the rest of the season.

Robertson started his career in great fashion by getting into a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game just a couple of months after being drafted.

But now he has played just 82 games of hockey – in any league – over the last three seasons. That is roughly only a third of the games he could have played in, not even counting playoffs.

And that means you have to ask whether the Leafs might eventually cut and run.

Nick Robertson and the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Robertson can’t catch a break, but has been good when he’s been able to play.  If he can stay healthy he clearly has an NHL career ahead of him, but the Leafs are in win-now mode and may elect to trade him.

To that end, is Nick Robertson a tradeable asset if  Leafs are pursuing upgrades at the upcoming Trade Deadline?

Obviously, with injury woes hanging over him including this latest shutdown; any trade is looking to potential future value rather than his current value.

Robertson, if healthy, is a never-quit grinder with an elite shot, who should have no problem being an NHL player and has a decent shot of being a good one.

Robertson hasn’t yet found his game fully in the NHL, but he has played just 31 games and is only 21.   The Leafs have no reason to give up on him, but if another team was interested, trading him is the only way he can help the team at this point.

So do they hold on a diminishing asset, which means flushing all value of that asset down the tubes when they are chasing a Cup, or get what they can while they can get it?

Matthews Knies and Nick Robertson are two high-potential wingers that people hope can contribute cheaply on entry-level deals.  It would have made sense for the Leafs to keep one and trade one in pursuit of the Cup.

Do they keep Robertson now since his trade value is lower and dangle Knies as their best asset? Do they sell Robertson at a discount, or just punt on the idea of having a premium asset to trade this year?

A lot of this comes down to whether other NHL teams place a high enough value on Nick Robertson and whether the return on a trade truly benefits the Toronto Maple Leafs – is he a tradable asset; I’m not sure.

Right now, his injury history makes it questionable as to whether he really brings much return so perhaps it’s a moot point discussing this.

I guess it depends how other NHL teams look upon him; is there a side that is willing to bet on a strong NHL future if indeed the Leafs come calling for immediate reinforcements?  It will be interesting to see what the Toronto Maple Leafs do. The trade deadline is only a few short weeks away.