What is fair value for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a Nick Robertson trade?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not yet made a decision on Nick Robortson. The enigmatic forward requested a trade earlier this summer, and while it has been recently suggested that Robertson could be the target of an offer sheet, nothing has yet come to fruition.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been unable, or most likely unwilling, to accommodate his request so far this summer. Now, I will say that the club is better off with a happy and productive Robertson on the team. He’s still young and projects to have a high ceiling.
But if Robertson’s mind is made up, refusing to trade him would only prolong the stalemate. Of course, it’s reasonable to see that the Leafs are not going to trade Robertson without getting fair value in return.
But, if the right deal comes along, the club will consider pulling the trigger.
What is fair value for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a Nick Robertson trade?
Though he has failed to stay healthy and is yet to deliver on the hype that followed him into the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, Robertson is just 22. That is not to say he can’t or won’t deliver. It’s just that so far, he hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Due to the injuries, the Leafs cannot expect another top prospect or first-round pick in return.
At best, the Leafs could expect another similar prospect looking for a fresh start or a mid-round pick. That is the reason they aren't in a hurry to trade him - he's more valuable to the Leafs because of his potential than the reduced return for him would be.
At best, the Leafs could be looking at a second-round pick. The likeliest scenario would be a third-rounder. That return doesn't give the Leafs much incentive to work out a deal - they are, after all, in win-now mode.
There is also the unlikely but possible chance of an offer-sheet coming. That would all but guarantee that Robertson is with a new team in the fall, but even with St. Louis throwing two offer-sheets out last week, they remain an extremely rare proposition in the NHL.
An offer sheet might actually be a desirable way to resolve this situation. Think about it: the Toronto Maple Leafs would no longer negotiate from a position of weakness. Instead, the club regains the upper hand as Robertson loses all leverage in the situation. Robertson suddenly gets stuck in the middle of the tug-of-war between the Leafs and whoever wants Robertson.
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The Leafs, however, are already in a bad spot with Robertson - they lost Bertuzzi and have yet to address their depth scoring and overall weak bottom-six. It would seem the best solution to this problem is to convince Robertson to return to the team and see how he performs under new coach Craig Berube.