Breaking: Analyst urges Maple Leafs not to trade 22-year-old disgruntled forward.

NHL expert James Tanner, Editor in Leaf of FanSided, feels the Toronto Maple Leafs should not deal unhappy forward Nick Robertson.

Robertson is a restricted free agent who has requested a move after growing dissatisfied with his role on the team. However, no deal has been reached, and Tanner believes Toronto should not sell Robertson solely because he has requested one.

“Brad Treliving should summon him to his office and inform him that a top-six position on the squad this season is his to lose. He should state that, while Game 7 was Keefe’s decision, he personally would have made a different one, and that this weighed into the team hiring a new coach. He should give Robertson a fresh start with Berube and sell him on the prospect of playing with Mitch Marner on a more or less permanent basis. “This would appease him, keep him on board, and help the Leafs avoid a major disaster/embarrassment,” Tanner said in his post.

“He’s more valuable to the Leafs than to anyone else, and the Leafs have a clear path for him to earn playing time in the top six with Tyler Bertuzzi gone… Robertson has shown he can win his minutes and score big in the NHL. With some consistent power-play time and a larger role on the team he gives the Leafs one thing they lack – cheap players with upside,” Tanner added.

As Tanner points out, with Tyler Bertuzzi leaving in free agency to join the Chicago Blackhawks, Robertson now has a vacancy in the top six. Sheldon Keefe is also out as head coach, giving Robertson a fresh start with Berube to prove he is a top-six forward in the NHL.

Robertson has skated in just 87 regular season games recording 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points.

Robertson’s trade request went public through NHL insider Chris Johnston, who broke the news on June 30 before the opening of free agency on July 1.

“Sources say that RFA Nick Robertson has no plans to re-sign with the Leafs this summer and has informed the team that he would like to be traded,” Johnston reported.

The news came as a surprise as Robertson was pegged as someone who could have a breakout role with the Maple Leafs in 2024. But, he has informed the team he wants to be traded and remains an RFA with no contract for the 2024-25 NHL season.

Although Robertson has requested a trade from Toronto, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving does not appear interested in meeting that request.

Instead, Treliving told the reporters that Robertson has a great opportunity with the Maple Leafs and that they need him to be a good player.

“I have certainly known that there was some frustration with Nick, but we look at Nick as an excellent player,” Treliving told the media on July 1. “There is an excellent chance for Nick here. We need him to be an effective player for us. I’m not going to engage in any speculation or public back and forth. We will simply leave it at that and keep moving forward.”

The Maple Leafs selected Robertson with the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.