2 weeks Ago By Lyle Richardson
On Sept. 10, Nick Robertson signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. That should've ended over two months of trade speculation that began on June 30 when TSN's Chris Johnston reported the 22-year-old restricted free-agent winger requested a trade after telling the Leafs he had no intention of re-signing with them.
That made Robertson a frequent fixture on our NHL Trade Big Boards . Up until Sept. 5, Robertson reportedly still sought a change of address.
However, he lacked leverage after completing his entry-level contract with no arbitration rights. His only option would've been not to report to training camp hoping to force a trade, but that would've hurt his preparation for the coming season. The younger brother of Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, Nick hasn't enjoyed the same level of success with the Leafs, spending the past four seasons bouncing between their roster and their AHL farm team.
Nevertheless, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving believes he has a terrific opportunity this season to establish himself as a regular middle-six winger. Robertson's new contract, however, doesn't mean he won't remain a trade candidate this season. Following his signing, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli believes the youngster is more likely to be traded than start the season with the Leafs.
He claimed there's "solid interest" in Robertson, and he could be easier to move now that he's under contract. Coming off a career-best 14 goals and 27 points in 56 games in limited minutes last season, Robertson could interest clubs seeking an affordable depth player with the potential to become a reliable scorer. Here's our take on five possible destinations for Robertson.
Feel free to express your thoughts on this topic in our app comments below. Under new general manager Don Waddell,the Columbus Blue Jackets were undergoing some roster changes duringthe offseason. He brought in center Sean Monahan via free agency and traded away unhappy winger Patrik Laine to Montreal for defensemanJordan Harris.
However, the tragic, untimely death of JohnnyGaudreau left the Blue Jackets in need of depth on leftwing and of reaching the $65 million salary-cap minimum for 2024-25.Waddell intends to fill the void by signing unrestricted free agents, signing James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal . Waddell could make another signing ortwo before the regular season opens next month.
If no suitableoptions remain, perhaps he'll consider making a trade. Robertson could be a worthwhileaddition here. He's young enough to fit in well with promising youngJackets forwards like Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson,Yegor Chinakhov, and Dmitry Voronkov.
His cap hit could help theminch close to cap compliance. This could become an interesting season for the Philadelphia Flyers. They started rebuilding last season but exceeded expectations by remaining in the playoff race until the final games of the schedule.
They should remain competitive under head coach John Tortorella, but the roster could be in flux this season. Their left wingers include Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, and Noah Cates. Foerster will be expected to build on his promising rookie performance while Tippett must top last season's career-best 28-goal effort.
Farabee must bring more consistency to his game while Cates must rebound from his injury-shortened campaign. The Flyers are above the $88 million cap by over $829,000. However, they'll get cap relief by placing permanently sidelined defenseman Ryan Ellis and his $6.
3 million annual cap hit on long-term injury reserve. That would leave enough to take on Robertson's low cap hit. Robertson could be a solid acquisition for the Flyers, especially if one of their current left wingers falters this season.
He will be challenged by the demanding Tortorella but could thrive if he rises to the occasion. Joining the San Jose Sharks could be what Robertson needs to get his career back on track. They're in the middle of a major roster rebuild focusing on young players and possess plenty of cap space to add to their lineup for the coming season.
The 22-year-old winger could be a good fit here. He'd get the opportunity for more ice time than what he's seeing on the veteran-laden Leafs. The Sharks are also just up the road from Pasadena, where he was born, though his family moved to Michigan when he was eight years old.
That doesn't mean Robertson will have an easy time with the Sharks. He'll still have to jockey for a middle-six spot with veterans like Mikael Granlund, Thomas Bordeleau, and Barclay Goudreau. Nevertheless, Robertson's quickness and natural offensive skills could help him garner an opportunity to skate alongside promising centers Macklin Celebrini or Will Smith.
If he meshes with one of them, he could prove himself as a scoring forward at the NHL level. A high-powered offense that finishedwith the league's fifth-best goals per game average (3.52) carriedthe Seattle Kraken into the playoffs in their sophomore season.
However, the departures of several key players sent that averagetumbling to 29th overall (2.61) and out of a postseasonberth last season. The Kraken must bolster their offensethis season to rebound from their disappointing 2023-24campaign.
Adding an affordable young winger with the room to developoffensively like Robertson could help give them the lift they need. At first glance, the Kraken seems set on the left side . Veterans Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz are their top two left wingers with Eeli Tolvanen on the third line andpromising Tye Kartye on the fourth.
However, Robertson could have anopportunity here if the oft-injured Schwartz, 32, should becomesidelined at some point this season. Tolvanen or Kartye could alsostruggle this season. His cap hit would also be affordable for the cap-strapped Kraken , who could demote a lower-salaried player to theminors to offset his addition.
The departure of Jonathan Marchessault to the Nashville Predators on July 1 leaves the Vegas Golden Knights thin at left wing entering this season. They're sitting over the $88 million salary cap by over $3.69 million , but they'll get $5 million in cap relief with goaltender Robin Lehner on permanent long-term injury reserve.
That'll leave enough for the Golden Knights to make an affordable addition at left wing. Nick Robertson could help them address that need. Ivan Barbashev is slotted into left wing on the Golden Knights' top pairing with 515 games of NHL experience, most of those as a middle-six winger.
Promising Pavel Dorofeyev and Brendan Brisson are expected to fill the second and third-line spots with Brett Howden in the fourth-line role. If Dorofeyev or Brisson don't pan out as hoped, Robertson could slot into one of those middle-third positions. Skating alongside Tomas Hertl and Mark Stone on the second line or William Karlsson and offseason addition Alexander Holtz would give him a chance to become a Golden Knights roster regular.
Stats via NHL.com . Salary info via PuckPedia .
Line combinations via Daily Faceoff ..
