The Toronto Maple Leafs have been discussing trades involving young forward Nick Robertson.
Robertson’s name has come up in trade talks for years, but Toronto has yet to move him. However, with Scott Laughton closing in on a return from injury, and Easton Cowan playing well, Robertson may be a scratch soon, and his name has once again come up in trade rumors.
However, Maple Leafs analyst and insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet doesn’t think Toronto should trade Robertson.
“I’m not trading Nick Robertson,” Kypreos said on Real Kyper & Bourne. “All of a sudden, there is a lot of talk of Nick Robertson. Think about this for a second. Why do you want Nick Robertson being traded right now? Why?”
Although Robertson may be a scratch, Kypreos doesn’t see any reason why the Maple Leafs should trade him. Instead, Kypreos believes trading him only hurts the team, as the potential return of a mid-round pick does nothing for him or the team.
“What are you trading him for? The fourth-rounder does what for me? There is no reason right now that you should just give Nick Robertson away,” Kypreos said. “You’re giving up depth for a fourth-round pick, which is useless to me. I’ll tell you what he does: he makes my team faster, my team gets slower when he leaves for a fourth-round pick. He’s still young, he’s energetic, he’s fast, and he can still shoot a puck. But I really want a fourth-round pick, you are not getting anything back for him, I’m not giving up death, I’m sorry.”
Robertson has recorded 1 assist in 6 games this season.
Insider: Maple Leafs Looking to Trade Robertson
The Maple Leafs had plenty of intrigue at forward ahead of the season.
The likes of Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok, and David Kampf were all mentioned as trade candidates. Yet, none were traded, but that could soon change.
NHL insider Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Maple Leafs are now exploring the trade market for Robertson.
“The 24-year-old finds himself one more time in a very familiar spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he’s hoping for a larger role, opportunity in the National Hockey League,” Dreger said on Insider Trading.
“He’s pushing 160 NHL games. I know that Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has recently talked with clubs that may have some interest in Nick Robertson. Given the depth that the Maple Leafs have, it’s a tough spot for Robertson. So maybe it’s time to give him a fresh start somewhere else.”
Robertson signed a one-year, $1.825 million extension with the Maple Leafs this offseason as he was an RFA. He was selected in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft by Toronto.
Craig Berube Frustrated With Toronto’s Inconsistency
The Maple Leafs suffered a 4-3 OT loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday in a disappointing game.
Following the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube called out the team for their inconsistent play.
“We did good things, but like I’ve said, we’re just inconsistent. We’re not consistent enough in our game, we don’t play to our identity the whole game,” Berube said postgame.
Toronto is off to a 3-2-1 start and will host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
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