Maple Leafs Want to Trade Recently Signed Forward

A new contract doesn't mean a young Toronto Maple Leafs forward is off the trade block.

Jan 29, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson (89) skates with the puck against Minnesota Wild forward Devin Shore (19) in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs reached an agreement on a contract extension with 23-year-old forward Nick Robertson, avoiding an arbitration case. Robertson signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs, earning him $1.825 million against the salary cap.

While Robertson signed an extension with the Maple Leafs, it’s not likely he sticks around in Toronto for too much longer. According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thought Podcast, the Maple Leafs have more players on their roster than they’d like and Robertson is the low hanging fruit in the lineup.

“The Maple Leafs have to clear some bodies there,” Friedman said. “There’s a lot of them”

Robertson has been connected to teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, but it’ll be up to the Maple Leafs to decide if/where they want to send him.

“I definitely think the Maple Leafs have work to do here,” I don’t know what their timeline is, but nobody expects them not to do things before puck drops, that’s for sure.”

For a number of years, Robertson was one of the top prospects in the Maple Leafs system but hasn’t been able to find regular time in the NHL lineup. Whether through his own development as a professional hockey player or the Maple Leafs not having room in the lineup, Robertson hasn’t seen much NHL time in his career.

Robertson appeared in a career-high 69 games during the 2024-25 season, recording 15 goals and seven assists for 22 total points. Usually relegated to the bottom six of the Maple Leafs’ lineup, Robertson has played in 156 career games with 32 goals and 24 assists for 56 points.

Originally a second-round pick (53rd overall) of the Maple Leafs in 2019, Robertson’s time in Toronto might be coming to an end soon. Getting a new contract signed, even for a year, takes away another hurdle to cross for interested teams.

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