The Toronto Maple Leafs have kicked off the season in a good spot. They are third in the Atlantic Division after five games. William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and Auston Matthews are leading the way in point production. Anthony Stolarz is providing great goaltending, which is much-needed given the uncertainty surrounding Joseph Woll.
Inserting Easton Cowan into the lineup is giving the Maple Leafs the option to make a trade. A trade that would see them give the boot to another player who is more expensive but doesn’t fit their mold.
However, it looks like there is a speed bump in a potential deal.
Nick Robertson & a Change of Scenery
In a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman and co-host Kyle Bukauskas discussed Nick Robertson‘s situation in Toronto. Specifically, they discussed how his situation is similar to that of Brennan Othmann with the New York Rangers.
“That’s always the challenge with these kinds of deals,” Friedman explained on the October 17 episode. “The same situation that we see with a guy like Nick Robertson in Toronto. A lot of people might look at it as, you know, he’s been here a long time, and it’s time for him to go somewhere else. The Leafs will look at it and say ‘Well, he can score, and we don’t want to just give him away.’ That’s been the challenge here.”
“Like, Robertson’s name came up again last week.”
The insider believes that Robertson wants to be in a situation where he can play more and be a significant contributor – and that’s a situation that’s avoided him to this day in Toronto.
“I am sure he would love to be somewhere else where he’d be in the lineup a little more regularly,” Friedman pondered. “Or, feel that he could be given a run of time where he can stick in the lineup more than he does in Toronto.”
The Problem With Trading Nick Robertson
GettyNick Robertson
That’s when the conversation turned a different direction. The main reason why the Maple Leafs have been hesitant could be because of the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
“If we are going to do this, we don’t just want to give the player away as much as we’re willing to work with a team on giving the guy a fresh start,” Bukauskas said to Friedman. “Because, was Sam Bennett not in a similar situation in Calgary? I know he was playing, but in terms of role and opportunity.”
“And now we see what he’s become down in Florida.”
While the playing styles of Robertson and Sam Bennett are entirely different, this is an excellent observation for a couple of reasons. One, both players aren’t being utilized to their fullest potential. And, two, the current Maple Leafs GM, Brad Treliving, was the GM for the Calgary Flames when they traded Bennett.
Sam Bennett Has Blossomed in Florida
GettyIs a new trade hitting a speed bump because of a past misstep?
Bennett was traded from the Flames to the Florida Panthers in April of 2021. At that point in the season, he had played 38 games with the Flames. He would go on to play 10 with the Panthers that year, scoring 15 points, which is three more than he had with the Flames earlier that season.
Night and day is a good way to describe the change in production for Bennett.
According to Hockey Reference, in 402 games with the Flames, he recorded 67 goals and 73 assists for 140 points, averaging 14:08 per game. With the Panthers, he’s scored 96 goals, 101 assists, totalling 197 points. All of this while averaging 17:09 in ice time over his 295 games.
Robertson’s Goal-Scoring Potential
Robertson’s point totals have always skewed towards goals over assists. In his final year with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, he scored 55 goals and added 31 assists in 46 games. In the 2021-22 season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, he recorded 16 goals and 12 assists in 28 games.
His last two seasons with the Maple Leafs have been a similar story. In 2023-24, he recorded 14 goals and 13 assists in 56 games. Last year, he scored 15 goals and added seven assists in 69 games. Robertson averaged 12 minutes a game last year and 11:23 per game the prior season.
In the right situation, the potential is there to be a 30+ goal scorer. Even if Robertson only averaged between 14 and 15 minutes a night, he’s a lock for at least 20 goals.
That’s worth something in the NHL. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, they’ll either need to wait it out for a better deal or figure out a different solution.
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