Robertson reportedly requested a trade away from the Maple Leafs in June.
Despite some opportunity on the left wing spot this season, it appears Nick Robertson hasn't changed his stance of wanting to be traded away from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston was a guest on 'First Up' with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo and was asked about the Leafs' reported interest in adding some left-wingers.
Johnston pointed out that the Nick Robertson situation still needs to be resolved.
“I think, obviously, at this stage of the summer, the Leafs are still working through what happens with Nick Robertson, but there's a pretty clear path for him to be part of the mix at left wing, to potentially have a role that exceeds what he's had in the past," Johnston said. "But at this stage, Nick Robertson doesn't seem inclined to sign in Toronto and is sticking to the idea that he'd like to play somewhere else. And so I think they have to kind of sort that out first or as part of this.”
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Sunday that the Leafs were looking at a left-wing option. In June, Johnston reported that Robertson told the Leafs he had no intention of signing a new contract in Toronto and requested to be traded.
Robertson, drafted by the Maple Leafs in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, has had a turbulent time in Toronto. He debuted for the club in the 2020 NHL playoff bubble but has bounced around between the Maple Leafs and AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies due to a mix of performance and various injuries.
Things seemed to come to a head last season when Robertson was sent down to the Marlies for 10 days due to salary cap limitations. Instead of reporting to the Marlies, the player skated with the Leafs' return-to-play staff which consists of injured players.
Robertson expressed his frustration about the situation to The Hockey News, indicating he wasn't happy about it.
The 22-year-old has 17 goals and 17 assists in 87 regular season games split over four seasons with the Leafs. As a restricted free agent, Robertson could sign an offer sheet with another club but the Leafs would have the right to match. He must sign an NHL contract by Dec. 1 in order to be eligible to play in the NHL this season.
