Earlier this summer Nick Robertson informed the Toronto Maple Leafs that he had no intention of returning to the team. After three seasons under Sheldon Keefe, Robertson found himself on the outside of the lineup looking in. That left the forward in search of a fresh start elsewhere.
All summer it appeared the forward remained committed to the idea of a change of scenery. However yesterday, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that after a meeting with head coach Craig Berube, it now seemed possible that the two parties reconcile.
Now it appears just 24 hours later that the two parties have come to terms on a brand new deal. Chris Johnston of Chris Johnston was the first to break the story.
This deal will see Robertson once again become a free agent next summer but with one major difference. Next year after playing Robertson will have obtained arbitration rights which will give him more control in the process going forward. With the Maple Leafs extremely light on left wing, there is an opportunity for the young forward to grab pulled of playing time.
Robertson is expected to see an enhanced role in the team's middle, six and significant time on the team's power play and possibly even a penalty killing rule. It will be interesting to see if under another head coach Robertson can find consistent time in the lineup.
POLL | ||
10 SEPTEMBRE | 103 ANSWERS Nick Robertson agrees to new NHL contract with Toronto Maple Leafs How many goals will Nick Robertson score this year? | ||
0-10 | 18 | 17.5 % |
10-20 | 63 | 61.2 % |
20-30 | 21 | 20.4 % |
30+ | 1 | 1 % |
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