As we near the start of training camp, there are several “marquee” names either available on the trade block, that have requested trades, or veterans with PTO capabilities. One name in particular that the Philadelphia Flyers have been interested in for a few years is Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson.
While things have changed dramatically in the last couple of seasons since their interest piqued, with the player seeking a trade out of Toronto, could it be high-time for the Flyers to revisit and potentially snatch his services at a lesser cost of acquisition?
With Daniel Brière at the helm, the Flyers have supposedly ushered into a “New Era of Orange”; in other words, a rebuild. Not only were the Flyers interested in Robertson when Chuck Fletcher was in charge but Brière has also held the same level of interest and with the club looking for young NHL-ready talent, Robertson requesting a trade falls right into their wheelhouse.
However, there are a few caveats that would now make them think twice. For starters, Robertson has dealt with his fair share of injuries, which has directly correlated to his slow start after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
During the 2020-21 season, Robertson suffered through a knee injury that limited him to just 6 games at the NHL-level and 21 games in the AHL. In 2021-22, he only played 10 games with the Maple Leafs and another 28 games in the minors after suffering through a fractured fibula. It was more of the same in 2022-23 after he sustained a shoulder injury that ended his season in December and limited him to just 15 games in the NHL and 2 games with the Toronto Marlies.
From 2020-21 to 2022-23, Robertson suited up for just 51 games in the AHL and 31 games at the NHL-level. He still managed to scored 22 goals and 46 points in the AHL, including a 16-goal and 28-point season in just 28 games in 2021-22. While playing with the Maple Leafs, Robertson scored 3 goals and 7 points but was mostly relegated to bottom-6 duties.
He was finally healthy enough to play the majority of games this past season with 56 contests as a member of the Maple Leafs and 9 games with the Marlies. He received the Morgan Frost-treatment as Sheldon Keefe scratched him 12 times out of a possible 71 games throughout the 2023-24 season. He did manage to play in 6 postseason contests so perhaps the tough love approach worked, but it was still a down-year for the 22-year-old in all facets of the game.
After averaging just 10:24 TOI in his first 3 seasons with the big club, it was more of the same in 2023-24 as he saw 11:23 ATOI per game. It wasn’t entirely Keefe’s fault or the Maple Leafs’ problem because there were several stretches where he was invisible. However, a lot of that can be attributed to the stop-and-start approach, the healthy scratches, and the top-6 essentially locked in with their core members.
There was very little room for Robertson to grow and while there’s a better chance for him to succeed this year with the Leafs not necessarily addressing their offensive depth during the off-season, he still would like a new opportunity elsewhere. Maple Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving understands his frustration but doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to make a move just to appease the youngster.
While the inconsistencies and injuries are problematic, the bigger issue might be that the Flyers now no longer have room on their wings. In just the last couple of seasons, what was once a major weakness, has now turned into one of their biggest strengths.
With the emergence of Owen Tippett and the arrivals of Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink, coupled with Matvei Michkov’s surprise upcoming rookie season, there doesn’t seem to be much room on the wings. Add in Travis Konecny‘s 8-year extension and Joel Farabee being under contract for the next 4 years, Robertson would find himself in a bigger pickle with the Flyers than he’s currently in right now with the Maple Leafs.
If the Flyers decided to overlook these issues, then we’re brought to the forefront of what they could offer Toronto for his services. Currently a restricted free agent, the Flyers would assuredly love to add him to their mix of young forwards but Toronto won’t be easily deterred since they aren’t necessarily forced into making a move.
Trade requests are hard to ignore and we just saw a young player getting traded after handing one in. Yaroslav Askarov reportedly was not going to report to the AHL and requested a trade out of Nashville and they obliged within a few days as he was moved to the San Jose Sharks. After Kevin Weekes dropped the bombshell on Twitter, Predators’ general manager Barry Trotz told the media that he still expected Askarov to report to training camp. Lo and behold, just a few days later, he was moved to the Sharks for package of assets.
While the Leafs will want to hold onto Robertson and potentially even give him a run in their top-6 in 2024-25, they might have to crack and oblige unless they’re willing to completely relinquish a full season. If a pending RFA does not sign a contract by December 1st, he is ineligible to play the rest of the season, and that was something the Leafs almost endured with William Nylander in 2018. He signed to a 6-year extension just minutes before the December 1st deadline but had gone unsigned and failed to report to camp prior to the deadline date.
With that in mind, the Leafs have always held interest in a myriad of Flyers players over the last few years. Rumours were rampant about Nick Seeler and Sean Walker last year, some had linked Rasmus Ristolainen to the club, and Morgan Frost had been linked a few times because his father, Andy, was the PA announcer at the Air Canada Centre between 1999 and 2016.
Another player, and perhaps the player they’ve held the most interest in, is Scott Laughton. With trade rumours ramping up in recent years regarding the veteran forward, could a deal involving Laughton and Robertson work out for both sides?
While we understand why the Flyers are interested in Robertson, Laughton is exactly what the Maple Leafs have been coveting for years. Not only does he carry 2 years of term, he also has a small cap hit of just 3 million dollars, he can play both centre and wing positions, is a proficient penalty killer, and is a remarkably responsible two-way forward who plays with a nasty edge.
Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Leafs were close to trading for him before he signed his 5-year extension with the Flyers back in 2018-19.
“When he [Scott Laughton] signed his extension in Philadelphia, I think Toronto was pretty close to trading for him. Obviously, it’s a different GM now, so I don’t know how [Brad] Treliving feels… he seems to be the kind of player that Treliving would like.
“One guy Philadelphia has had interest in before has been Nick Robertson… and Nick Robertson might be the kind of guy that could use a fresh start and will probably like one. I don’t know how they [Philadelphia] would feel about him now. Unfortunately, he has battled some injuries and some unfortunate bad luck the past couple years, but I do know that’s a guy they’ve liked in the past.”
However, the Flyers have almost shown their hand with how highly they regard Laughton. While he’s been plastered in trade rumours for countless years, that has more to do with other teams being interested and the Flyers being in a rebuild than anything else. Brière has staked a very high asking price for Laughton and it remains to be seen if they’d bite even if a team meets it. We witnessed last year that even a late first round pick wasn’t enough for the Flyers to move on from their Swiss Army knife.
The 2024-25 season will be the last time the Flyers can bank on Laughton’s value being held up by the fact that he has term remaining, considering he’ll be due for a contract in the summer of 2026. The Leafs are looking for NHL-ready pieces to make an impact today and he would slide in perfectly as either their 3C or on the wing with Max Domi down the middle.
Another route the Flyers could take is sending an offer sheet Robertson’s way. We just witnessed the St. Louis Blues offer sheeting Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers and while offer sheets were extremely taboo in the old NHL, it seems like some of that danger has quelled over the last few years – ever so slightly.
If the Flyers sent an offer sheet of $1.51 million or less, there would be no draft pick compensation. If they offered between $1.51 million and $2.29 million, they would be forced to cough up a third round pick in 2025 and if they offered between $2.29 million and $4.58 million, they would be forced into relinquishing a second round pick in 2025.
Realistically, they would offer anywhere between $1 million and $2.29 million at the very most, however at this current moment the Flyers are over $829,763 over the cap while the Leafs have $1.275 million in projected cap space and Toronto would almost certainly match.
A trade seems like the best route should the Flyers still have interest in Robertson and think he would help the club moving forward. He’ll only be turning 23-years-old in September and while the Flyers could look to move Laughton for the once-sought after prospect, that does very little to their wing depth chart.
MEET MATVEI MICHKOV AT DYNASTY SPORTS – OXFORD VALLEY MALL
Welcome Matvei Michkov to Philadelphia the only way that Philly can with our friends at Dynasty Sports! The Flyers rookie will be making his very first appearance since joining the Flyers on Saturday, September 7th at Dynasty Sports’ Oxford Valley Mall location. The event will begin at 12:00 PM with Matvei signing autographs and taking photos with his fans.
