The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed forward Nick Robertson to a one-year, $875,000 contract, ending a stalemate between the sides. Robertson had asked for a trade in June after Toronto didn't put him in a consistent role last season because of a glut of forward talent. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving explored the trade market but reportedly didn't really want to move the winger.
Opportunity Awaits
Still, Robertson set career highs across the board with 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) and 56 games in 2023-24.
Robertson, who turns 23 on Wednesday, was Toronto's second-round pick (53rd overall) in the 2019 NHL draft.
Over parts of four seasons, the California native has posted 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 87 games.
A Look Back
After requesting a trade earlier during the off-season, Robertson, who turns 23 on Wednesday, will arrive at training camp next week with the stalemate behind him after signing on Tuesday morning. The Leafs announced that the value of the contract is $875,000 US.
There’s no question about the opportunity that will be there for Robertson once the Leafs hit the ice on Sept. 19 at the Ford Performance Centre.
The Leafs have holes on the left side — this is taking nothing away from Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann — and under new coach Craig Berube, Robertson will get a chance that he might have hoped he was going to get elsewhere. He has the potential to provide more offence than, say, Pontus Holmberg or Connor Dewar from the left wing.
“We look at Nick as an excellent player,” Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in July. “And there’s great opportunity for Nick here. We need him to be a good player for us.”
A restricted free agent, Robertson had no leverage as the summer passed. The Leafs weren’t under pressure to trade him and it would have made zero sense for Robertson to miss any time in camp.
Once his new contract expires, Robertson again will be a restricted free agent next summer and will be eligible for arbitration.
Though Robertson desired a change of scenery via trade, playing for a new coach in Toronto should represent the next best thing.
A New Chance Under Berube
Injuries had stalled Robertson’s progress in his professional hockey career. Still, he played in 56 games last season and had 14 goals and 13 assists, but thought he didn’t get a proper look in what turned out to be Sheldon Keefe’s final year as Leafs coach.
After Christmas in 2023-24, Robertson returned to the Leafs lineup five times after being scratched and, on four occasions, he scored in his return. In 87 career games with the Leafs, Robertson, a second-round pick by Toronto in 2019, has 17 goals and 17 assists.
Though the Robertson signing gives Treliving little breathing room under the $88-million salary cap — puckpedia.com has the Leafs with just $400,833 in cap space — there remains the speculation that winger Max Pacioretty and defenceman Jani Hakanpaa will be signed. Injuries have limited the 35-year-old Pacorietty to 53 games in the past two seasons, during which he scored a total of seven goals for Carolina and Washington.
Hakanpaa would be a boost to the Leafs penalty kill, but he didn’t play after March 16 for Dallas last season following a knee injury. It initially was reported when free agency opened in July that Hakanpaa would be signing with the Leafs, yet there has been no official announcement from Toronto.
If Hakanpaa is signed, the likelihood is that that defenceman Conor Timmins would be waived.
The Leafs announced last week that forward Steven Lorentz will be in camp on a professional tryout.
And rookie Easton Cowan will be looking to make an impact on the wing after dominating the Ontario Hockey League last season with the London Knights. Cowan isn’t eligible to play for the Toronto Marlies, so he’ll be with either the Leafs or the Knights in 2024-25.
The development of centre Fraser Minten, meanwhile, might best be served with a full season with the Marlies. Minten will try to convince team brass in camp he deserves another shot with the NHL club after he cracked the Leafs roster a year ago before he was returned to the Western Hockey League.
The Next Chapter for Nick Robertson
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
Now that the Maple Leafs winger’s immediate future is sealed with a one-year contract, he will get a chance to deliver.
The deal is worth $875,000. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that both sides were close to coming to terms on a new contract.
Robertson, who will turn 23 on Wednesday, was a restricted free agent and the lone Maple Leaf without a contract for the upcoming season.
The Pasadena, Calif. native reportedly asked for a trade in July after growing displeased with his role under former head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Keefe was fired in the offseason, and the Maple Leafs hired Craig Berube as his replacement.
Robertson appeared in a career-high 56 games with the Maple Leafs, scoring 14 goals with 27 points. He went pointless in six playoff games. He also played nine games with the Toronto Marlies, finishing with 11 points.
With the departure of Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Robertson will be in contention for the second-line left-wing role and possibly time on the second powerplay unit this upcoming season.
Robertson was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft (53rd overall).
