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It was a disappointing finish to the 2024-25 season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After making the playoffs for a ninth consecutive campaign, it was a second-round exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers. This would lead to Brendan Shanahan not seeing his contract renewed, and Brad Treliving reporting directly to the CEO as the general manager. His latest move in NHL Free Agency was extending Nicholas Robertson and avoiding arbitration with the forward.
The summer started with a loss for the Leafs. They would lose Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. While the front office should be celebrated for getting something in return for Marner instead of letting him walk for free, Nicolas Roy is not going to replace their former star's production. Even with a tight cap situation, the team was able to make some solid transactions. They brought back both John Tavares and Matthew Knies on new deals. They also traded for Matias Maccelli. The team would acquire Henry Thrun and Dakota Joshua in trades as well. Their latest move avoids arbitration, but also raises some questions.
Robertson was the 53rd overall pick of the Leafs back in 2019. The Pasadena, California native would spend time in the OHL before taking the ice for the first time with the Leafs in four games in the 2020 playoffs. From 2020-21 through 2023-24, the forward would spend time in both the AHL and NHL, but also miss significant time due to a broken leg and a knee injury.
He would spend the majority of 2023-24 with the Leafs, scoring 14 times and adding 13 assists. Still, he would go without a point in six playoff games, leading to a request for a trade from the forward. Things would smooth out, he would sign a one-year deal, and play 69 games in 2024-25, but just three in the playoffs, often being a healthy scratch. This led to some speculation that the front office could trade their restricted free agent.
The Maple Leafs move forward with Nicholas Robertson
While the Leafs could have tried to find a trade partner for their forward, they chose to move forward with another one-year deal. This may have been a solid move. Robertson has played in 156 career games at the NHL level, and will still be turning just 24 years of age at the start of the season. He has also lit the lamp 32 times in his NHL career and added 24 helpers. His offense did take a small step back in 2024-25. After scoring 14 times in 56 games in 2023-24, he found the back of the net 15 times in 69 games in 2024-25. Meanwhile, he saw a decrease of six assists as well.
This may have been by design, though, as head coach Craig Berube wants physical play from his bottom-line forwards. The former second-round pick improved in that regard. He increased his shots blocked total by nine over the prior season, but it was his hitting that saw the biggest jump. In 2023-24, he had just 34 hits. That would increase to 79 the next year, roughly half a hit per game. Now, the Leafs need their forward to meld the two play styles. If he can be a player who lights the lamp nearly 20 times a year while also being physical, his extension would be a major win for the franchise.
Final thoughts and grade on the Nicholas Robertson contract
This may have been a solid deal for both sides. While after the 2023-24 postseason, Robertson requested a trade, he opted for salary arbitration this offseason. This placed the Leafs in a situation where they would need to find a trade partner, proceed with arbitration, or work out a deal with the forward. After making just $875,000 in 2024-25, the American requested a salary of $2.25 million, while Toronto offered $1.2 million.
For Toronto, there are positive aspects to this deal. They get a player who showed a willingness to change his playstyle for the team. Further, he was eighth among forwards in points last year. With the loss of Marner, the team needed to keep all the production they could. The forward also got some time on the penalty kill last year, and while it was limited time, it may be a role he could grow into. The team did pay more than they wanted. The goal was to give just under $400,000 in a raise, but ended up giving nearly $1 million.
For Robertson, he got to stay with the franchise. While he has requested a trade in the past, since then, he has signed a one-year deal and then elected for salary arbitration, before signing this new deal. He did get a significant raise after having a small raise in his last contract. The winger gets another year to prove himself worthy of a larger contract. This is before entering restricted free agency again next summer. He did not get the full amount he wanted, but the salary was closer to his request than the Leafs'.
Toronto Maple Leafs grade: B-
Nicholas Robertson grade: B+
