Maple Leafs Can’t Give In to Nick Robertson’s Trade Request – The Hockey Writers Toronto Maple Leafs Latest News, Analysis & More

After losing Tyler Bertuzzi, T.J. Brodie and Ilya Samsonov to free agency — among others — the Toronto Maple Leafs and Brad Treliving spent July 1 trying to bolster a lineup that had far too many holes in it.

He brought in some size on the back end adding Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpää, while also re-signing Max Domi and Timothy Liljegren. Amidst that, however, reports surfaced that Nick Robertson wanted out of Toronto — a request that reduces their depth up front even more than it has been with the loss of Bertuzzi.

While the request comes at an inopportune time for the Maple Leafs, Treliving’s response leaves Robertson’s future with the team up in the air.

Treliving Not Set on Moving Robertson

The free-agent market is far from being dried up. But when it comes to the options still available to fill out the Maple Leafs’ bottom six, Robertson would be the best option out there for Treliving — and his comments on the matter seem to match up with that notion.

“I have certainly known that there was some frustration with Nick, but we look at Nick as an excellent player,” said Treliving regarding the 22-year-old’s up-and-down tenure with the Maple Leafs. “There is great opportunity for Nick here. We need him to be a good player for us.”

The Maple Leafs did extend a qualifying offer to Robertson. However, Chris Johnston reported that Robertson had asked for a trade and, in doing so, noted that he would not re-sign with the Maple Leafs.

The team’s captain, John Tavares, also commented on the speculation around the restricted free agent, saying, “He’s faced a lot of adversity through his time with us. Obviously has dealt with some tough injuries and he just keeps coming back.”

By those comments, it seems as though the Maple Leafs and Treliving are still hoping to get something done with Robertson and give him a better opportunity now with Bertuzzi gone. While Treliving did note that he didn’t want to comment further on the speculation, he did say that the team would look to move forward from this. Take that for what you will.

Robertson’s Helpful When Healthy

Over the past four seasons, Robertson has played just 87 regular season games for the Maple Leafs. That, in large part, is due to his inability to stay healthy. A broken leg. A knee injury. A concussion. And finally, he dealt with issues with his groin and abdomen. So it certainly hasn’t been an easy road for the 22-year-old.

That said, he had his most productive season in the NHL in 2023-24 and the Maple Leafs finally got a glimpse of the player they drafted 53rd overall in 2019. He finished with 14 goals and 27 points in 56 games during the regular season averaging just over 11 minutes of ice-time per game.

On top of that, he finished with just 96 shots and a 14.6 shooting percentage — the best of his career thus far. In fact, his 34 points in 87 games so far is something the Maple Leafs will have to consider when debating whether or not to move him.

It’s also worth noting that late in the 2023-24 season, Robertson was actually ranked fourth on the Maple Leafs in 5v5 goals per 60 minutes at 1.12 — behind only Auston Matthews (1.76), Bobby McMann (1.27) and William Nylander (1.26). A number that could definitely lead to a 20 or 25-goal season if he were to stick with the Maple Leafs.

Marner’s Future Could Change Robertson’s Path

Another part of the equation is the Mitch Marner situation. There’s a ton of speculation that Marner could be moved, while some still believe he has a place on the Maple Leafs’ current roster. Regardless of where you stand, this could play into where Robertson ends up.

Surely Robertson will get a bigger role with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25 based on what he presented the team on the ice in 2023-24. He should see a boost — albeit minimal in his ice-time if he plays for the Maple Leafs.

Related: 5 Depth Forwards Maple Leafs Can Still Add in Free Agency

That said, if Marner is moved, Robertson would likely be counted on by the Maple Leafs to pick up some of the offensive slack. That in turn comes with more ice-time and more responsibility.

Obviously nothing is set in stone for Treliving and the Maple Leafs as they continue to build their opening night roster, but based on what is out there, he’s not sold on moving on from Robertson just yet. Given their roster turnover this offseason, it would make more sense for the team to hold onto Robertson and not give in to his request. After all, he’s just 22 years old and when it comes to the Maple Leafs they’ve given up on players far too early in the past.