Rift between Toronto Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson deepens as he awaits trade

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Graham Montgomery
September 7, 2024 (6:04 PM)

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson is reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with the team as his trade request continues to go unanswered.

Robertson set career highs with the Maple Leafs across the board last season. He blew way his personal record for games played in a single season with 56, besting his previous high by more than 40 games. Likewise, he set new career highs in goals with 14, assists with 13, points with 27, and plus minus with a rating of +4 on the season. He also set highs in the rest of his counting stats including hits, blocked shots, and takeaways.

Despite the improvements he showed though, Sheldon Keefe never appeared to fully trust him, giving him just 11:23 of average ice time per game, just a few seconds more than he had gotten in previous stints with the team. Undoubtedly, this is a big part of the reason he has elected to request a trade from the team.

According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, Robertson is still at home waiting for a trade and he is growing increasingly frustrated as the days go on as he was expecting a move to happen sooner rather than later.

"The latest there is that I'm told that he would still prefer a change of address. t's been slow going on that file but he's got a pretty powerful agent in Pat Brisson. He's training back home and waiting for a resolution, but the process certainly hasn't moved along as fast as his camp would like."

Given how this situation appears to be playing out, some fans have actually thrown out the idea that other teams could sign Robertson to an offer sheet.

The problem with that from Robertson's perspective is that he would want to make sure the Leafs do not match it, as he clearly does not want to play in Toronto anymore. That being said, perhaps the Leafs would let it slide even if it is an offer worth matching just so they do not have to deal with this drama anymore.

The crew over at SDPN recently did a podcast with a segment dedicated to the recent drama surrounding Robertson. Their take on the situation can be seen in the post below, and it may very well be worth hearing as they are all Maple Leafs die-hards who have been following this situation since it first began over a year ago.

Will Robertson be traded before the season starts? Or will he have to tough it out for another year in Toronto? This is one of the captivating storylines surrounding the Leafs this offseason, so be sure to stay tuned to see how this saga comes to a conclusion.

Source: HockeyReference
Nick Robertson career statistics