Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson Officially Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avoid Arbitration
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson avoided an arbitration case and have settled on a new deal according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.
In a last-minute effort to settle things before they potentially get messy, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson have come to an agreement on a new contract.
The news was broken by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman on X.
Robertson and Maple Leafs Meet in the Middle
The deal settles in the middle of what the team and Robertson wanted, with the team electing to try and get a $1.2-million deal meanwhile Robertson was looking for $2.25-million, and it was settled that $1.825-million was the magic number.
This also puts an end to NHL arbitration as Robertson was the last player to figure out a new deal before going to a mediator.
Robertson had 22 points in 69 games for the Maple Leafs last season (15 goals, 7 assists) but was often a healthy scratch and seemed to have fallen out of favor with Craig Berube at times.
Nick Robertson Signing Forces Brad Treliving's Hand
This deal effectively ensures that either one of David Kampf or Calle Jarnkrok will be traded in order to not only open up some roster space but also make sure the team has enough cap space to work with; especially if they are looking to still add.
Robertson's deal takes up a lot of Toronto's extra cap and now with only just under $2-million to work with, it's either a trade or closing up shop for the rest of the offseason.
Betting on yourself is no easy feat, especially for a player like Robertson who has been so hot and cold so far in his career, but perhaps this is finally the season he figures it all out.
He found a bit of an edge later in the season, and if he can get himself more active defensively, work on his shortcomings and consistently find the back of the net; it's a steal.
But it's also a deal that is more than Bobby McMann; a 20-goal scorer, and more than Scott Laughton; a veteran who has seven double-digit goal seasons in his career.
So he needs to play up to that deal this season, and with him locked into a lineup spot somewhere, things better get going quick. Maybe he can find some chemistry with Nicolas Roy on the third line, or perhaps he gets a chance up top with Auston Matthews as an experiment.
Why Toronto Needed To Avoid Arbitration
Well, it's a bit obvious considering the team wanted to save as much money as possible, and going to a mediator had the chance to give Robertson even more salary, however they still may have rushed it.
Sure, there's a chance the arbitrator would have given Robertson his $2.25-million, but Toronto also has a chance he could look to Robertson and say 'Your repeated trade requests and inconsistencies do not warrant such a deal.'
Giving him under $500K less than what he wanted seems to give in to his demands, and Brad Treliving must also be betting on Robertson to breakout this season.
It's hard to determine exactly where he fits best given that so far his career has been so up and down or that he will even break out.
He may score another five this preseason, but will that actually lead into regular season success?
Or does Robertson find out he's bet on himself and lost?
| POLL | ||
AOUT 2 | 1863 ANSWERS Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson Officially Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avoid Arbitration Will Nick Robertson score 20 goals this season? | ||
| Yes | 1354 | 72.7 % |
| No | 509 | 27.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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