Nick Robertson's Situation Draws a Similar Path to Maple Leafs' Former First-Rounder
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
As questions surround Nick Robertson's place in the Maple Leafs lineup, his current situation is bearing a striking resemblance to another former draft pick.
Since being drafted 53rd overall in 2019, Nick Robertson has been quite the talking point for the Maple Leafs. Expected to be that next big scorer, he's come up short so far and while has shown glimpses of his potential, the inconsistencies are costing him chances.
Not to mention he already requested a deal multiple times, and nearly took the team to arbitration before settling and has been subject to potential trade rumors as well as some believing he might not even fit in the lineup at all.
Why Nick Robertson's Contract and Role Echo a Familiar Leafs Precedent
However one analyst found a very interesting parallel that could give us a glimpse into Robertson's future with the Maple Leafs.
LeafsNationNews on X explained that the Robertson's situation is eerily similar to Timothy Liljegren's situation last season, where Toronto reluctantly signed him before trading him a month into the season:
I think the Robertson trade smoke may actually be a little more real this time now that he's no longer a <$1M player but is still reportedly fighting to be a regular.
It totally has the same feel as when they signed Liljegren to a surprising deal to avoid arbitration.
It totally has the same feel as when they signed Liljegren to a surprising deal to avoid arbitration.
With Craig Berube essentially saying there's no free lunches, and the expectation for Robertson to come in and fight valiantly for a spot; the pressure and onus is on him to perform.
Robertson had 22 points in 69 games last season (15 goals, 7 assists) though did have five preseason goals in what was hopefully his break out point.
What This Means for Robertson's Future With the Maple Leafs
If he can come into camp and actually put in a solid preseason which then translates into actual regular season production then his future might be secured for the next few years as Toronto finally gets to reap the benefits of Robertson's potential.
But if he comes in again and scores 10-15 goals and doesn't give any indication he's going to be consistent; he's probably headed elsewhere.
There's only so much time you can give a player before moving on, and having not figured it out with two head coaches leads some to wonder if it's not the Leafs who are the issue.
Liljegren was in the same boat, and the defensive logjam that occurred pushed him out of the lineup, and with Toronto facing the same situation with their forwards in 2025-26; Robertson is a likely casualty.
He joins the likes of David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok and potentially Max Domi as trade candidates and could end up fetching some of the better pieces depending on if Toronto plays their cards right.
So a strong training camp and some actual consistency is the best chance for Nick Robertson to stick around. If he can't get that figured out, it might be a short season in blue and white.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 13 | 740 ANSWERS Nick Robertson's Situation Draws a Similar Path to Maple Leafs' Former First-Rounder Do you think Nick Robertson has earned a spot in the Maple Leafs lineup? | ||
| Yes | 321 | 43.4 % |
| No | 419 | 56.6 % |
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