Report Surfaces Questioning the Longevity of Nick Robertson's Tenure with Leafs, Even After New Deal

Last off-season, Nick Robertson requested a trade, looking for a fresh start in a different market that may have afforded him a better opportunity.

After months of discussions, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube were able to convince the 23-year-old that he was getting a fresh start under Berube and the two sides agreed on a one-year deal just days before training camp.

Although Robertson only played in three post-season games last season, he managed to skate in a career-high 69 regular season games where he tallied 15 goals and was much better on the defensive side of the puck.

Looking for a new contract and a raise again this year, Robertson took matters into his own hands, filing for arbitration, ensuring that he would get just that.

The hearing between the former second-round pick and Leafs was slated to take place on August 3rd, but on Saturday, we saw the two sides strike a new one-year deal worth $1.825M for the upcoming season.

Robertson's new deal surprised many, given that he received a raise of almost $1M, but at the same time, he was second among all Maple Leafs, to only Auston Matthews, in goals-per-60 at 5-on-5 last season, and without Mitch Marner, someone will have to provide additional offense. Robertson can be a part of the solution there.

With that being said, some are also wondering if the Leafs agreed to terms simply to get the deal done, while attempting to facilitate a trade, similar to how they dealt Timothy Liljegren early last season.

With six weeks until training camp and a backlog of forwards in the bottom-six, something has to give. Treliving has had a difficult time moving veterans David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok, but with a new deal for Robertson, he may become the easiest forward to move to clear cap space as Treliving continues his search for a true top-six addition.