Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson may finally get his wish: A fresh start elsewhere. While rumblings regarding a trade involving Nick Robertson have faded since he was paired with Max Domi on the 3rd line, he may still be the odd man out.
As healthy players are starting to come back into the Maple Leafs lineup, Robertson may once again finds himself on the outside looking in. So far this season, Robertson has struggled to produce offensively. He’s chipped in just 4 goals in 24 games.
That’s not quite what the Leafs were hoping for when they inked him to an $875K earlier this season, though his analytics are much better than the raw totals.
Robertson's injury history and struggles to cement a consistent NHL role suggest that he has almost no trade value (which is likely how he ended up re-signing despite requesting a trade) but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be a useful piece in a larger trade. As The Athletic’s trade board suggests, Robertson could get his ticket out of Toronto.
Nick Robertson’s Wish May Finally Come True in 2025
Robertson has taken a lot of heat, but he's been unlucky too, and hasn't played as bad as the raw numbers might suggest. 100% of Robertson's points have come at 5v5, where he is producing points at just below the rate that Matt Knies is producing them.
Robertson is actually 6th on the Leafs in shots per minute, and while he is expected to lose his minutes slightly all together, in reality, the Leafs are winning his minutes this year by a significant margin (at the time of writing this). (naturalstattrick.com).
What Robertson may yet turn into remains to be seen. What we do know is that the Leafs have a crowded roster that may not be able to keep passengers on it much longer. If Robertson doesn't start to contribute more, he may end up on another team, even if he doesn't have much trade value.
Entering this season, Robertson was viewed as a tough-luck player. He made strides to develop into a full-time NHLer. However, injuries derailed his growth. Last season, however, Robertson seemed to hit his stride. He contributed offensively and appeared to be blossoming. Then this year, after a hot training camp, he went ice-cold.
So, the Leafs must make a call on Robertson. The fact is the Leafs can't turn their back on one of the few players they have that could potentially provide the depth offense they are starved for. At the same time, roster changes are coming in the new year and it's hard to see him having much more rope, even if he's playing well right now.
In my estimation, Robertson will be gone at the deadline. The Leafs and toss him into the mix as part of a larger deal. Some other clubs may choose to take a flyer on Robertson, potentially getting an even more motivated guy on their roster.