Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! The buzz continues to swirl around the Vegas Golden Knights. One that, thankfully, didn’t involve Mitch Marner! It has been out there that Vegas would be a good trade destination for disgruntled Toronto Maple Leaf LW Nick Robertson. That it’d be a “win-win” for both teams. Of course, there aren’t any plans by Brad Treliving for a trade, understandably hoping to fix things out with the 22 year-old. But the crux of Proteau’s argument comes in two parts.
NHL Rumours
Rumour: Julian Gaudio from The Hockey News discusses the Golden Knights and Nick Robertson
Nick Robertson is a really good player with a skillset to be a consistent 20+ goal scorer in the league. Before the deal that brought Alexander Holtz to the team, there was a good argument that could be made there. After that deal went through though, it became a much harder one to make. At least, not without totally discarding the potential of Pavel Dorofeyev to be a top-six forward in this league. Given that his career statline is not that dissimilar to Robertson, this could end up a terrible long-term idea.
Also, if Victor Olofsson summons the high level scoring touch he had in Buffalo 3 seasons ago, this supposed gap turns into a low-key advantage. That alone is proof enough to let this rumor crumple off and drift away. Especially when paired with the second part of Mr. Proteau’s argument…
The Leafs Will Be Fine Taking A 2nd Rounder For Robertson
On the surface, given what happened last week, this seems like a possible outcome in any potential trade for Robertson. The New York Rangers got Reilly Smith for a 2nd rounder. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals both gave up 3rd round picks to acquire Jake Guentzel and Jakob Chychrun, respectively. But going a little deeper brings out a small problem: Ivan Barbashev.
Barbashev going to the Maple Leafs solves a top-6 forward they have, particularly with Bobby McMann. He’s been dealing with a lower-body issue going back to the end of last season, one that hasn’t cleared up as of this writing. Given the choice between a solid player like McMann and a guy with 2 Stanley Cup rings and 200+ career points…Brad Treliving would be foolish not to see if there’s a way to get the Russian winger there.
Ultimately, this is one of those rumors that probably won’t go anywhere beyond the scorching heat. But it provides some interesting food to chew on with 73 days till the Preseason opener against the San Jose Sharks. It also provides the twin beauties that comes with most Offseasons in the NHL. Sometimes, it’s an endless stream of drama. And sometimes, it’s chewing over hypotheticals while sitting under an AC.
Main Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
