Arbitration Asks From Nick Robertson and the Maple Leafs Officially Confirmed

The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken care of a lot of important business this summer, starting with negotiating a wonderful, team-friendly contract extension with former Leafs captain John Tavares.

In the weeks that followed, the Leafs completed trades involving Mitch Marner, Matias Maccelli, and Ryan Reaves, and also secured a hefty new contract for Matthew Knies.

One thing they haven't been able to accomplish, however, is getting a new deal done with restricted free agent forward Nick Robertson, who has a salary arbitration date coming up on August 3rd.

Originally, it was not clear what the ask from Nick Robertson was, or what the offer from the Leafs would be. However, thanks to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, we have our answer. Per Friedman, the Leafs' offer is $1.2M, while Robertson's ask is $2.25M.

Recently, Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin proposed the idea of the Leafs potentially swapping Robertson for another disgruntled forward in Columbus in Yegor Chinakhov, which would provide both young wingers with a change of scenery and a new opportunity. So far, that appears to be more hopeful than it is realistic.

The Leafs and Robertson can still come to an agreement and avoid arbitration altogether. Right now, they're around $1M apart, but if they split the difference and agreed to a $1.75M AAV, I'm sure it's a deal both parties could live with.

Robertson competed in 69 games with the Leafs last season, producing 15 goals and 22 points. He also added 2 points in 3 playoff games.