The Toronto Maple Leafs might be forced to make a big splash during Friday's NHL Trade Deadline, and to do so they might just make the talented young forward Nicholas Robertson available.
When it comes to securing the big targets at the NHL Trade Deadline, teams have to pay a significant premium, as it's the most marked-up that players get due to the desperation buying teams have to add to their groups before the playoffs start.
The Maple Leafs don't have a whole lot of draft capital, but in Robertson, they do have a talented young player that selling teams might find intriguing
Draft picks are great, but the uncertainty as to whether a draft pick will ever even make the league combined with the time it takes them to develop to that point even if they do can cause some teams to prefer already-developed prospects.
Robertson is in the sweet spot where he looks good enough to contribute in the future, but he has not been so outstanding that Toronto can't afford to part with him for the right price.
If a team wants the young, speedy winger in return for a veteran, they get a player with upside that can plug into their lineup right away.
A 2019 second round pick, Robertson has finally broken through in a somewhat regular role for Toronto after playing a game here and a game there with the big club in previous years.
In his limited role, Robertson has produced well, putting up 0.96 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes, which is good for fifth among Maple Leaf forwards and puts him in the same even-strength goal scoring tier as players like Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand, Andrei Svechnikov, and Jeff Skinner.
Whether or not Robertson could replicate that pace in a larger role against tougher competition remains to be seen, but it's a gamble a rebuilding team should absolutely take.
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NHL Trade Deadline: Nicholas Robertson
Contract Situation: Restricted free agent after this season at $796,667 cap hit
Season Stats: 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 41 games played
Possible Destinations: Anaheim, Calgary, St. Louis, Pittsburgh
Any of the selling teams could use a young talent like Robertson to add to their core, but there are some very interesting fits on this list.
Starting with the most obvious one, the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose slide down the standings has reportedly convinced the team of the need to sell off some pieces to get younger and build a different group around aging legend Sidney Crosby.
Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas is in his first year with the team after being let go from Toronto, so he drafted Robertson originally and is very familiar with his game.
He fits both the mold Dubas typically looks for in acquiring players and the mold that the Penguins will need to get back into the playoff picture next season.
The teams in the West that are selling players that the Leafs might have interest in like the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, and St. Louis Blues are all in need of talented, young scoring depth and could walk away as big winners from the trade deadline if they can add a player like Robertson to their young core.
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