Penguins Acquire Nicholas Robertson

According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Pittsburgh Penguins are acquiring Nicholas Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs. TSN’s Chris Johnston followed on LeBrun’s report, indicating that the Maple Leafs would receive a fourth-round pick from the Penguins. Pittsburgh confirmed the deal, including that they have sent their 2028 fourth-round pick to Toronto.

A Robertson trade has been a long time in the making. A speculative trade candidate for several years, the Maple Leafs have finally pulled off a trade. Now, in Pittsburgh, Robertson will rejoin the General Manager who drafted him in the first place.

Despite being a second-round pick by Toronto in the 2019 NHL Draft, Robertson hadn’t become a full-time piece for the Maple Leafs until the 2023-24 season. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Although he had some injury concerns, Robertson was more than productive with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Still, given the talent they had up front, Toronto was unwilling to give Robertson a spot in their top six.

That has remained the case leading up to today. Throughout the past three years, Robertson has scored 45 goals and 81 points in 203 games with a -10 rating, averaging 12:05 of ice time per game. On an 82-game average, Robertson has been nearing a 20-goal average, which would obviously benefit a lot of teams.

Although the top of the Penguins’ forward corps is similarly saturated, Robertson should have access to more playing time in his new home. Especially if he’s placed next to Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, Robertson should have no issues reaching the 20-goal plateau next year if he can remain healthy.

Additionally, he fits Pittsburgh’s timeline. Despite having six years of NHL experience, Robertson is only 24 years old and is a restricted free agent this summer. He does have arbitration rights, but his contract status gives Kyle Dubas the flexibility to keep him on a deal that makes sense for both sides.