Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson may be an RFA right now, but he's still the team's best trade chip as they get ready for the 2024-25 season.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Nick Robertson 53rd overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, nobody expected much from him. He was the classic undersized, super skilled forward that former GM Kyle Dubas loved and if you asked any true fan, they'd probably say that he had a 50/50 chance of making the NHL.
However, his trajectory changed immediately following his draft year, when he scored 55 goals and registered 86 points in 46 games while dominating the Ontario Hockey League. After that monsterous season, Leafs fans couldn't wait for the prospect to join the roster as they thought they had a potential top-six forward at a league minimum salary for the next three seasons.
However, three years and one entry level contract later, Robertson now sits as an RFA, who's demanding out. Sheldon Keefe and the entire organization never gave him a true chance in the team's top-six and he never flourished into that dominant offensive player that many thought. His size became a factor, as injuries accumulated year-after-year and he hasn't been able to find his groove with the Leafs, yet.
Nick Robertson Is the Toronto Maple Leafs Best Trade Chip
If I'm Craig Berube or Brad Treliving, I'd be doing everything in my power to convince Robertson to give Toronto another shot and would play him in the top-six for the first month of the season to see what he can do, because his contract and potential output will be much more superior than having someone like Max Domi in the top-six.
Domi will most likely find his way to Auston Matthews' wing, but I think the best case scenario is keeping him at 3C, while keeping a combination of Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson and/or Bobby McMann in the top-six.
Even if Robertson doesn't play a game with the Leafs this year and demands a trade, he's still going to be the team's biggest trade chip based on his potential.
Based on his output in junior and decent year last season, despite playing limited minutes, Robertson has a ton of potential. He's only going to be 23-years-old when the season starts this year, so why would you give up on him?
I find it hilarious when team's give up on players so quickly, yet there are multiple examples of "older players" excelling later. Michael Bunting was 25-years-old when he made a name for himself with the Leafs, while Bobby McMann who we just spoke about, was 27-years-old when he signed his first big NHL deal, but for some reason those guys are looked at in a way better light than Robertson.
I guess that's what happens when you have big potential early on, but there's no reason to believe that Robertson can't develop into a 20-goal scorer like Bunting.
Either way, as we look towards the 2024-25 season, if the Leafs don't see value in Robertson in the top-six, they should trade him immediately while he still has high value because another team should be willing to give up a fair bit for his services.