Toronto Maple Leafs: Why Nick Robertson Is a Trade Candidate

Nick Robertson’s time is up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is why the team has to make the unfortunate decision to trade away the talented winger.

Nick Robertson has always been considered to be a  part of the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It now seems like those who predicted his bright future in Toronto should have checked in with an accredited Maple Leafs psychic. That’s because Robertson’s trajectory appears to have changed.

Robertson has shown that he is a highly talented left-winger.

That remains true, but the circumstances that surround his position in the Leafs lineup are no longer favourable to him.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Why Nick Robertson Is a Trade Candidate

Robertson has always been on the cusp of being in a position to play an important role for the Leafs. He showed the hockey world what he could do in 2019-2020 when he scored 55 goals and added 31 assists for the Peterborough Petes in the OHL.

It’s clear that his skillset is best suited for a role in the top-six. Unfortunately, it appears that every time he got some momentum in the NHL, injuries held him back. He has had many of them.

Robertson doesn’t seem to have much luck. On Dec. 8, 2022, he was hit by Matt Roy of the Los Angeles Kings. It didn’t look like much at the time, but it forced Robertson to head straight to the dressing room.

Though he tried to rehab the shoulder injury caused by that hit, he eventually opted to have his shoulder surgically repaired. The surgery kept the 22 year old out of action for the remainder of last season and the playoffs.

While Robertson is still young and should still be looking at a long NHL career, he has so far been limited to playing in just 31 regular season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He collected three goals and four assists in those contests.

While the Leafs will likely want to try to get something out of one of their few cheap contracts that belongs to a player with upside, Robertson may be on the outside looking in for a roster spot.

The best thing that General Manager Brad Treliving can do with Robertson is treat him like a valuable asset and float him on the trade market. While teams may be apprehensive about overpaying due to the winger’s injury history, the Leafs should still be able to get a nice return for Robertson.

A team like the Dallas Stars may want acquire Robertson. The Stars have Nick’s brother Jason, who has proven to be one of the premiere players in the NHL. Putting the brothers together could create magic on the ice. As such, the Stars may be willing to pay more than others to get that combination together.

We will soon see whether Robertson fits into the Leafs plans this year, but for those fans that haven’t bought one yet, it may not be wise to buy a Robertson Leafs jersey until he secures his position in the lineup.