The Buffalo Sabres have $23.2 million in salary cap space to play with this summer. But for reasons we've covered in this THN.com article, Sabres fans can forget about acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs star and UFA right winger Mitch Marner. It's just not happening, folks. Marner probably isn't coming back to Toronto, but he's damn sure not coming to a team that hasn't made the playoffs in nearly a decade-and-a-half. And the same goes for Leafs UFA center John Tavares, who is going to happily accept a major pay cut from the $11-million he made this year if it means staying with his beloved hometown Leafs.
However, there is one Buds player the Sabres should be interested in -- and it won't cost them a whole lot, either in terms of salary cap hit or salary cap term. We're talking about Leafs winger Nick Robertson, who is slated to be an RFA this summer. The 23-year-old made only $875,000 this season, and he clearly doesn't fit in prominently to Toronto's blueprint for success, as he was a frequent healthy scratch during the regular-season and in the playoffs.
Robertson posted only one goal and two points in the three playoff games he appeared in this year, but he did set a new career-best in goals (15) this season -- and if he were given more of an opportunity on a team like the Sabres, we can see Robertson being a very good fit with Buffalo, probably getting to the 20-goal plateau right out of the gate next year.
Now, we're not suggesting Robertson be acquired so that the Sabres can part ways with up-and-comer left winger J.J. Peterka. As we've argued, Peterka should be a core component in Buffalo for the foreseeable future. But Robertson's speed and scoring skill would help the Sabres' offense, and Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams wouldn't have to break the bank to get him under contract.
Maybe Robertson gets double what he made this season on a one-year deal. Maybe he gets $2-million per-season on a two-or-three-year deal. But given that his best days are still to come, a strategic investment in Robertson's services is likely to be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Sabres. And best of all, it wouldn't cost the Sabres very much to acquire Robertson in a trade with Toronto.
To wit: if you're Adams, you can land Robertson by giving the Leafs a second-or-third-round draft pick, or a mid-tier prospect. The Maple Leafs need to replenish their depleted stock of young players, and now that Leafs coach Craig Berube has demonstrated he's not comfortable playing Robertson in key situations, Toronto can't ask for the world in any Robertson deal. He's there for the taking, and now it's on the Sabres to step up and take a big swing at landing him.
Robertson averaged only 12 minutes per game this year with the Leafs. If he came to Buffalo, he'd be getting significantly more playing time than that. And let's say bringing in Robertson doesn't work out and Robertson remains a periphery player not particularly interested or capable of being a top-six NHL forward. You took a chance with him and you didn't give up heaven and earth to do it. No harm, no foul.
The effect of playing in Leafs-crazed Toronto tends to magnify players' strengths and weaknesses. So while it may be obvious to some that Robertson doesn't have what it takes to thrive as an NHLer, it could also be true that he's not as bad as all the healthy scratches may suggest. He's looking for opportunity right now, and that's what the Sabres can offer him.
For that reason, Robertson should definitely be a target for Adams this summer. And the motivation to prove the Leafs wrong could push Robertson to the next level, at least, for him.
Buffalo can't sit back and expect elite players to fall into its lap. They need to be proactive, and the Leafs are at the end of their rope with this particular asset. If they're ever going to improve, the Sabres have to take chances. And Robertson is a gamble worth taking.
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