It seems like every few months we re-visit the question of what to do with Nick Robertson, and here we are again as we approach the 2025-26 season.
Last summer, it was reported that he requested a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs after failing to earn a consistent spot in the lineup, before later signing a one-year extension with the Leafs. Playing through that contract last season, the 23-year-old showed the best and worst of his abilities.
Robertson started the year with an outstanding preseason performance, showcasing the fast, dynamic offensive spark he can bring with five goals across three games. But as quickly as that fire was lit, it dissipated. Through the first 23 games of the season, he only managed two goals.
In the end, Robertson finished the season with career highs of 15 goals, 69 games played, amd 12 minutes a night. He added seven assists for 22 points on the year overall. Contributing little on the defensive end and lacking in size at 5-foot-9, 178 lb., he didn’t make a strong case for his place on the playoff roster and ended up making just three postseason appearances, with a goal and an assist.
Amidst a summer of retooling for Toronto’s bottom six to make it bigger and more physical, it’s only gotten harder for Robertson to find his roster spot for this upcoming season. While he’s shown flashes of goalscoring potential over the past few years, he’ll need to really tap into that to prove his worth to this changing Leafs offence.
The expectation: Start the season strong and produce consistently
At this point for Robertson, it’s probably a bit useless to assign any statistical expectations for this upcoming season before he’s even earned a consistent roster spot. 40 points would be nice, 20 goals would be great, but the key here really is for him to have a strong start to the season.
While that may be true for any player, it’s especially key for the American skater. After narrowly avoiding arbitration to earn a one-year, $1.825 million extension with the Leafs this summer, it feels in some ways that Robertson is already on borrowed time with the team. If he can come out hot to start the year, it’ll either prove his worth to Toronto’s evolving bottom six going forward or increase his value as a trade asset.
Either option is great for Toronto, but first he has to produce on the scoresheet. If he starts the year with a similar drought to last season’s, it’s hard to imagine he’ll materialize into anything other than a draft pick or two for this contending Leafs team.