TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that Nick Robertson has no intentions of signing an extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has requested a trade.
Sources say that RFA Nick Robertson has no plans to re-sign with the #leafs this summer and has informed the team that he would like to be traded.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 1, 2024
This comes mere hours after he was given a qualifying offer from the Leafs as he was slated to become an RFA on July 1st. While Brad Treliving had the option not to provide Robertson with one and let him become a free agent outright, they recognize that he will have some value to other teams and hope to get something of value from him.
Given how much discontent there was between Robertson and the Leafs throughout the years and especially this past campaign, it comes as no surprise that we are now at the point where he hopes to be moved.
Robertson would see infrequent usage under Sheldon Keefe as there would be moments where he got infrequent usage one night and then got healthy scratched the next. This would be a point of contention among the fanbase because among all Leafs forwards last season he finished second behind Auston Matthews in goals/60 with 1.33 while simultaneously not being a great puck handler and having defensive shifts leaving a lot to be desired. All of this stemmed from the fact that Keefe did not seem to have a lot of faith in Robertson, combined with his contract status being an easy one for the Leafs to use to get under the cap.
With so many questions surrounding where he would be implemented in the lineup under Craig Berube, it’s easy to conclude that Robertson would have likely run into the same problem with a different regime. He has previously expressed frustration with not having a stable spot in the lineup and now that it appears he will be going into a situation where the status quo will continue, he wants to go elsewhere where he would get a chance to play.
It is a shame in some ways that it has gotten to this point, because having that additional offence for cheap is crucial to a team that is always strapped for cap space, especially on players that they have drafted and developed. After years of his development being hampered by various injuries, Robertson finally getting through a campaign fully healthy and then immediately wanting out is sure to sting a little extra for fans who had faith in what he could become.
With a separation now seeming like an inevitability, Treliving will soon get to work on finding a new home for Robertson after taking care of the start of free agent frenzy.
