Maple Leafs’ Nick Robertson reportedly asking for $2.25M annually ahead of arbitration

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson is reportedly looking for a new contract worth $2.25 million ahead of his salary arbitration hearing on Sunday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

Ahead of the upcoming decision, the Maple Leafs are reportedly looking to reach a deal worth $1.2 million per Friedman.

Robertson’s upcoming case is the final salary arbitration hearing to be conducted this summer. Both parties can conduct negotiations leading up to Sunday’s hearing, and it’s possible they could reach a new deal during the weekend.

The 23-year-old recorded 15 goals and 22 points in 69 games with the Maple Leafs last season, before adding a goal and two points in three playoff games. Robertson was replaced by Max Pacioretty during the playoffs, and will have to fight for his spot in the starting lineup, as the Maple Leafs added several depth pieces this summer, including Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua.

Robertson asked for a trade last summer but rescinded the request prior to the start of the 2024-25 regular season, and eventually signed a one-year deal worth $875,000. He was outstanding during training camp and The Leafs Nation argued that he was the team’s preseason MVP. Robertson struggled to generate offence consistently during the regular season, but he grades out as an efficient scorer in a bottom-nine role, who is still prone to defensive lapses.

“Yeah, Nick’s a good player,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in June. “Again, we’re in June, the puzzle has to come into place. But I think Nick is a good player. He’s still a young player, he’s still an evolving player, but he’s got a skill set and he shoots it in the net. That’s a good skill set to have.”

This is the third consecutive season where the Maple Leafs are going to arbitration with a player, eventually finding common ground with Ilya Samsonov in 2023 and Connor Dewar in 2024. Robertson is a player that is still valued within the Maple Leafs organization, and while both parties will find an agreeable figure for the upcoming season, this may constitute his final chance to make a real dent within the lineup, as many believe he could reach his potential elsewhere in a scoring-line role.

Toronto currently holds over $2.9 million in cap space.