Analyst Praises Brad Treliving for Pulling Off 'Steal' With Maple Leafs' Latest Signing

The saga of Nick Robertson and the Toronto Maple Leafs is one that has seen its fair share of ups and downs. While he looks great in small bursts, Robertson has lacked the consistency to stay in the lineup and is often a healthy scratch.

He wanted to be traded multiple times but still finds his way on the team one way or another, and while fans are certainly hoping he can actually break out and be a reliable contributor there's no guarantees.

However, for Dom Luszczyszyn, an analyst for The Athletic, he believes that Robertson is due to actually be a solid contributor this season and can be a reliable top-nine player.

Robertson projects to score 17 goals and have 30 assists this season according to the data, and is expected to play above his $1.825-million deal and could play closer to a $3-million forward.

Not bad considering the free agents available all want that, and any premium top-nine forward is going to cost much more than even $3-million.

But according to Luszczyszyn, Robertson could have a much better career if things turn out similar to Anaheim's Frank Vatrano; who jumped from a third line scorer to a player who consistently hits 20+ goals and has a 37-goal campaign to his name.

Though Vatrano offers more physicality, we saw Robertson find his role a bit more under Craig Berube and turn into a more aggressive forechecker and hitter. If he can add a bit more defensive awareness and become even more physical it'll play well into his growth.

Robertson had a great start last year with five goals in the preseason, however struggled to the tune of only 22 points in 69 games (15 goals, 7 assists) and was often a healthy scratch or someone that found themselves with sheltered minutes.

Adding Nicolas Roy this summer was huge because it gives Robertson the 3C he needs and with Roy being an underrated playmaker, there is a good chance that the young forward can find chemistry and therefore consistency with the third line.

Is this technically a steal for the Maple Leafs? It's absolutely a shot in the dark, and while Robertson certainly has the potential to be an offensive star for years to come, there is a good chance he doesn't follow in his brother's footsteps and becomes more of a role player.

That's not a bad thing, but Toronto needs to figure out what they are going to do with him because it can't become a yearly tradition where they re-up for a season to see what he can do.

This is a make or break season for Nick Robertson, but if the numbers don't lie, then we'll be in for a pleasant surprise in 2025-26.