Nick Robertson reflecting on a potential exit delivers a heartfelt thank you

As the NHL playoffs now get underway, the Maple Leafs are a team who are going to be doing a lot of work to make sure they get themselves back into contention next season and stop wasting everyone's time; there's big changes that need to be made.

But one change that not a lot of people are talking about is whether or not Nick Robertson is going to be sticking around. He's been a topic of conversation for a couple of years now and with multiple trade requests; it's hard to gauge things.

Though if you were to listen to his post-game and end of season comments then you'd get an idea that perhaps Robertson doesn't have a clue either.

Speaking to reporters after Toronto's season finale loss to the Senators, Robertson was not really committal one way or the other and it's going to be up to the new group coming in to determine his fate:

This sounded less like a person who is understanding where his role is and rather a player who is resigned to his fate — whatever happens, happens.

While he still hasn't hit the heights that both the team or fans have anticipated and clearly a few steps behind his brother, it was still a solid year all things considered.

Robertson, 24, set career highs in points (32), goals (16), assists (16), blocks (36) and TOI (12:40) and though they aren't eye-popping numbers, you have to remember that Robertson was relegated to the bottom-six the entire year and barely had the ice-time to contribute substantially.

Yes. Why the heck not? You already saw what Fraser Minten and Alex Steeves can do elsewhere, same with Pontus Holmberg. Do you want to let Robertson go, thrive somewhere and you're kicking yourself yet again?

He's still only 24, a year older than Matthew Knies and one of the youngest players Toronto has on the roster. He's still a former second-round pick and he's clearly got the talent if you give him the opportunity and it's a shame his best season came at the worst time.

When you have guys like Max Domi sitting on the top line and not giving Robertson a shot, it's tough to understand what they want out of him. He's not a bottom-six forward, but not yet a solidified top-six player but in a season where things were flipped on their head — give Robertson a chance.

The issue here is that Robertson is likely going to want a deal similar or higher to the one he has, and if he makes it an arbitration nightmare again, then Toronto may have reservations about his commitment level.

Though for a team who often doesn't get a chance to foster homegrown talent, adding Robertson back into the fold and giving him a legitimate chance could unlock that potential the fans have been yearning for since he came in.

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