Robertson, a pending restricted free agent, has requested a trade from Toronto due to frustration with his lack of playing time. The 22-year-old reportedly has no plans to sign another contract with the Maple Leafs. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News suggests that the Golden Knights are a logical destination for him.
“Landing Robertson would boost Vegas’ middle-six group of forwards. The Leafs would likely be satisfied with one of the Golden Knights’ second-round picks (they have three second-rounders over the next three drafts), and Robertson would be much closer to home than in Toronto,” Proteau wrote.
“The Leafs might accept a decent prospect instead of a draft pick. Whatever the case, Vegas would be adding a potential 20-25 goal scorer without taking anything off their NHL roster, and Toronto would offload an unhappy player and make room for a youngster like Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten. It’s a win-win for both teams, which is the kind of deal that often gets made in the NHL,” Proteau added.
A trade to Vegas makes sense as the Golden Knights lost Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Anthony Mantha in free agency. Vegas needs another skilled forward for their top six, which Robertson can provide.
Robertson was drafted 53rd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft but has only played 87 regular season games over parts of four seasons. In those 87 games, he has recorded 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points.
Maple Leafs GM Has No Plans to Trade Robertson
Despite Robertson’s trade request, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said he doesn’t want to move the 22-year-old. Treliving believes Robertson is an important player on their roster and someone he wants to re-sign for the 2024-25 NHL season.
“Certainly, I have known that there was some frustration with Nick on his behalf. But we look at Nick as an excellent player, and there’s a great opportunity for Nick here, and we need him to be a good player for us,” Treliving told the media on July 1. “I’m not going to get into any speculation or any public back-and-forth. We’ll just leave it at that and continue to move forward.”
If Robertson re-signs with the Maple Leafs, he would likely project as the team’s second-line left winger.
Golden Knights’ Lackluster Offseason
Vegas has had a challenging offseason with limited cap space. When free agency opened, the Golden Knights saw Marchessault, Stephenson, Alec Martinez, William Carrier, Mantha, and Michael Amadio leave, and the team traded goalie Logan Thompson.
In free agency, the Golden Knights have only signed depth forward Zach Aston-Reese, forward Victor Olofsson, and goalie Ilya Samsonov to back up Adin Hill. According to CapFriendly, Vegas currently has just over $1.3 million in cap space, giving them limited room to add more players.
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