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Elliotte Friedman Reveals Failed Maple Leafs Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 10:41 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ pursuit of a forward to make up for Mitch Marner's departure reportedly hit a wall this summer when the Columbus Blue Jackets rejected an offer involving Nicholas Robertson.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, reporting the information in a "32 Thoughts" column published on Thursday, Toronto initiated trade discussions centered around Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov and Robertson, but Columbus wasn’t interested in the Leafs winger as the sole return.

“Toronto is investigating options for Nick Robertson,” Friedman wrote. “At some point in the summer, they pitched a move for Yegor Chinakhov, but that wasn’t to the Blue Jackets’ liking. That file remains open in Columbus, however.”

Written 32: https://t.co/3z6nFcV0dM
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 24, 2025

The proposed deal followed a summer trade request from Chinakhov, whose agent publicly expressed frustration over a lack of communication with Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason.

Chinakhov has played sparingly this season, averaging under nine minutes a night across three games while stuck on the fourth line.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report Toronto’s interest, listing the Leafs among a group of teams including the Flames, Red Wings, Sabres, and Panthers, all of whom are monitoring Chinakhov’s situation closely.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson (89) pursues the play.Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Columbus general manager Don Waddell, however, isn't just going to give his forward away, and is seeking a “hockey trade” and not just draft picks, given the team’s hope to stay competitive despite the current logjam up front.

Robertson, also 24, is on a one-year, $1.825 million deal and has recorded just one assist through seven games this season. The Leafs winger also requested a trade himself during the 2024 offseason before signing one-season contracts in back-to-back years.

For now, it appears Columbus doesn’t view bringing in Robertson in exchange for Chinakhov as a fair deal.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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