One of the stated goals of Pittsburgh Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas at the end of the 2024-25 was to begin the "execution" phase of the organization's rebuild. He said part of that "execution" would, likely, involve young RFAs that other teams other couldn't afford or who needed a change of scenery.
And there is one RFA who - although, he might not be one of the bigger names out there - may garner some attention from teams.
One year ago, Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Nicholas Robertson found himself in a very similar position to where he is now with the Leafs’ organization. This time around, Toronto extended Robertson - an RFA - a qualifying offer that he did not accept, electing to move toward arbitration, which was an option that was not available to him last season.
At this point, Robertson will either go all the way to arbitration to determine his salary, extend with the Leafs before arbitration, or get his rights traded prior to arbitration. Given that Robertson was in and out of the lineup last season - he registered 22 points and a career-high 15 goals in 69 games last season - and that his opportunities to break into a larger role with the Leafs are dwindling, it may be best for both parties to finally move on this summer.
If that’s the case, is Robertson someone the Penguins should be looking into?
We wrote a piece on the possibility of Pittsburgh offer sheeting Robertson last season. While the situation is a bit different this season - and offer sheets aren’t likely to happen with the Penguins, per Dubas’s own words - that doesn’t mean they can’t look to the trade market.
Here’s why Dubas should - and shouldn’t - pursue Robertson in an RFA trade-then-sign.
Maple Leafs Forward Nick Robertson Files For Salary Arbitration, Timeline, Reasons And What’s Next?For the first time in his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Robertson has leverage. The forward filed for salary arbitration on Saturday, which allows a third party to decide his compensation for the upcoming season.
The case for
At this point, it’s hard to tell exactly what the timeline is for the Penguins’ rebuild. In fact, Dubas - and even new head coach Dan Muse - have reiterated that they don’t want to put a timeline on it.
But one thing that does keep getting repeated by Dubas is that the Penguins want to compete as “urgently as possible.” They have been rumored to be interested in acquiring young NHL talent, as those kinds of players are likely what they’re looking for in any trade return for veterans Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.
While Robertson is certainly not a top-end talent - and an unproven one, at best - he’s still young enough and capable enough to take a chance on.
And, right now, he’s probably cheap enough to take a chance on, too.
Is Now The Time For The Toronto Maple Leafs To Trade Nick Robertson?This past week, the Toronto Maple Leafs filed a qualifying offer to young left winger Nick Robertson, guaranteeing Toronto would keep the 23-year-old’s rights.
The Leafs haven’t necessarily lost all of their leverage in this situation. They extended a qualifying offer for a reason, as they are interested in keeping Robertson around as a depth option. They lost Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, but they also brought in Mattias Maccelli, who could fill a top-six role or, at least, give Robertson some competition. It’s also entirely possible that the Leafs are still looking to add to their forward group in order to more definitively replace Marner.
And, again, Robertson was a healthy scratch at times last season - making that the case under two coaches in a row - which isn’t exactly a vote of confidence that the organization thinks he can play in a more elevated role in the lineup.
The acquisition cost for Robertson at this point is probably in the ballpark of a third-round pick, which the Penguins have two of in 2026. Also - if Toronto does want to add a top-six forward - he can be a small part of a larger return for a player like Rakell or Rust.
NHL Trade Rumors: All Eyes Should Be On Penguins NowNow that we are a few days into July, the majority of this year's top free agents have found their new homes. Because of this and the 2025 unrestricted free agent (UFA) class being far weaker than in most years, the expectation is that the trade market will start to heat up.
At this stage, Pittsburgh needs to get its hands on as much talent as possible, and Dubas has expressed a desire to look into players who have upside and need a change of scenery. Robertson fits the bill, and he also has familiarity with Dubas, as Dubas drafted him in 2019 (53rd) during his time as Toronto’s GM.
Even if things don’t work out between Pittsburgh and Robertson, the cost would be low-risk enough to make it worth a gamble, especially since the Penguins have excess draft capital. At the very least, he would be a solid addition to their middle-six, and he would be in a legitimate position to see some time in Pittsburgh’s top-six, especially without Rakell or Rust in the picture.
Really, it’s a win-win for the player and the organization, and there’s not really a strong reason not to do it. It’s one of those, “Why not?” scenarios.
The case against
Although there isn’t necessarily a strong case to be made against - especially since Robertson shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg - there simply might be more intriguing options out there for the Penguins.
Again, a lot of the Penguins’ approach to any potential deal for an RFA could depend on how close they think they might be to competing again. There are higher-end options on the market - notably players like Mason McTavish, Marco Rossi, Gabriel Vilardi, and Bowen Byram - that could make a bigger impact for the Penguins right now.
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If Dubas feels that the Penguins are only a year or two away, he might want to shoot higher: And having that third- or fourth-round pick that Robertson would command could be the type of asset that gets a potential deal for a bigger name over the finish line.
Also, the Penguins do have a lot of young talent that will be pushing for roster spots next season, and although Dubas has said that they want their young players to have to compete for spots on the NHL roster, they may not want to oversaturate their field of forwards too much. They already have 14 forwards in the mix, and acquiring someone like Robertson would only muddy the waters further and, potentially, get in the way of prospect development.
At the end of the day, they may just see more value in either another RFA or in the players they already have - and that is certainly legitimate enough a reason not to pursue him.
If Rossi Is Available, Penguins Should Be CallingIt's safe to say that it will be a very interesting summer for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Feature image credit: Dan Hamilton - Imagn Images