The Toronto Maple Leafs have one player that needs a change of scenery. The Chicago Blackhawks also, according to reports, have one player that needs a change of scenery. So, what if the two Original Six teams just decided to swap players?
We all know about the Leafs and Nick Robertson's position on this team. Especially with the changeover this summer with Mitch Marner's departure and bringing in some more forward talent, there doesn't really seem to be a place for Toronto to use Robertson's talents as a shoot-first, diminutive winger.
There have been recent reports that the Leafs are open to the idea of trading the 24-year-old before the season kicks off next month. And in this search for a new home for Robertson, would it make sense to deal him for another similar player that seems to be on his way out and needs a new environment to thrive?
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Blackhawks winger Lukas Reichel is someone who Chicago could be looking to move and do it realtively soon.
Elliotte Friedman: Re Lukas Reichel: I just think that it's a name that's out there; the Blackhawks are willing to make the move; the player understands it might be time too - 32 Thoughts Podcast (9/11)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) September 14, 2025
So, could there be a one-for-one, young-winger-for-young-winger swap in the near future? It kind of makes sense.
Both Robertson and Reichel have had similar levels of success in the NHL. Stuttering stop-and-start opportunities in scoring roles but have largely been at the same production level -- Robertson with 0.36 points per game in the NHL, and Reichel with 0.32. The only difference really is that Robertson's game is more about shooting but being smaller, and Reichel has the ability to be a forechecker but also would rather make plays and stickhandle than shoot as much as the young Leafs winger.
While it wouldn't solve any of the forward logjam for Toronto, it would give them a different dynamic that they could certainly use more of in the bottom six. While Robertson is a talented player, there was a limit to him as a bottom-sixer. If he wasn't playing alongside offensively gifted players, then his game was fairly quiet. Reichel should be able to make at least some more noise if he was slotted right in the bottom six alongside a Dakota Joshua or Nicolas Roy (or both).
The player that would be directly competing with Reichel if he were to come to Toronto would be Bobby McMann, and to have some internal competition wouldn't be all that bad in the end.
Maybe the Leafs can finally be on the positive end of a trade for once and find the exact player they have been missing to solidify their scoring depth. And meanwhile Robertson would get a massive opportunity to penetrate the Blackhawks' top six and stay there alongside Connor Bedard, Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Donato, and...who else they have on the NHL roster.
It could be a win for everyone involved.