Nick Robertson's Deal Sparks Speculation That the Leafs Are Planning Another Surprise Move
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
With Nick Robertson's arbitration case settled, all eyes are now on the Maple Leafs to make their next bold move, likely a roster-clearing trade.
On Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nicholas Robertson decided to come to an agreement only a day before he was set to face an arbitration case.
Robertson earned quite the raise, though not as much as he intended and it gives him yet another year to figure it out.
But with that comes more issues, mainly salary cap issues and the fact that all of a sudden the team has a logjam of depth after making a flurry of smaller signings and bringing in pieces like Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua.
Leafs Could Be Following the Liljegren Playbook with Robertson's Contract
It looks like the team is going to have to come to a decision soon, and he either needs to be given a sure spot in the lineup, or Toronto needs to suck it up for now and see if they can find a buyer in the future.
The contract situation follows in the footsteps of Timothy Liljegren, who ended up getting a $3-million contract; a deal that is certainly a lot more lucrative than it should be.
What happened was the team decided to cut ties with Liljegren early in the season and haven't looked back since. It's quite possible that Robertson is as cold as he was to start last season and Toronto decides to cut their losses and deal him too.
Why Robertson's AAV May Be More About Cap Strategy Than Ice Time
But it might be part of a bigger picture. His current salary is $1.825-million and for a young team with loads of cap space (Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose, Utah) Robertson at 24, with a low hit it makes perfect sense.
Plus he should be able to earn more impactful minutes as opposed to being stuck in a third or fourth line role and Toronto would be able to package him alongside another player like David Kampf or even a young prospect like William Villeneuve and bring in that top-six forward or open up much needed room.
Robertson had 22 points in 69 games for the Maple Leafs last season (15 goals, 7 assists) and while he had a career high in goals; he was extremely inconsistent.
With that room the team can sign someone like Jack Roslovic, who has more reliability and consistency on offense than Robertson, and has familiarity with Auston Matthews as well.
It's about making Robertson appealing to buyers and giving him a bit more money may motivate him to play better, raise his trade value and Toronto can get more back at the deadline.
But it's a big if, and Toronto might end up being stuck with him regardless so let's hope they can make the best of it.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 3 | 2254 ANSWERS Nick Robertson's Deal Sparks Speculation That the Leafs Are Planning Another Surprise Move Will the Maple Leafs regret keeping Nick Robertson or will he break out? | ||
| Huge regret! | 781 | 34.6 % |
| No way he'll crush it! | 1473 | 65.4 % |
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