Jason Robertson Rumours Don’t Make Sense for Maple Leafs

The rumour mill is in full swing as the Olympic break is fast approaching in the NHL and recent rumblings have the Toronto Maple Leafs potentially linked to Dallas Stars’ forward Jason Robertson – also the brother of current Maple Leaf Nicholas Robertson. But the asking price might be more than most around the team are willing to give up.

Original rumours surfaced that there was almost a deal in place last season around the deadline to send Easton Cowan, Ben Danford and more to the St. Louis Blues in return for forward Brayden Schenn. Schenn blocked the trade after it surfaced that his brother, Luke, wouldn’t be headed to Toronto. Hence, the deal fell through.

Now, it’s being suggested that the Stars and Robertson aren’t close on a contract extension with the player looking for upwards of $12 million per season, sparking more speculation that the Maple Leafs could be in the mix with Cowan’s name being floated around. But let’s be clear. At this point, nothing about these rumours make sense for Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs. Here’s why.

Maple Leafs Already Have Thin Pipeline

One of the frustrations amongst Leafs Nation of late is the team’s notorious ability to move first-round picks. For Brandon Carlo. For Nick Foligno. Even for Scott Laughton, although on the defensive end that’s worked out.

However, over the last seven drafts, the Maple Leafs have a total of three first-round picks and only five second-round picks. Those names include, Robertson (2019), Rodion Amirov (2020), Roni Hirvonen (2020), Matthew Knies (2021), Fraser Minten (2022), Easton Cowan (2023) Ben Danford (2024) and Tinus-Luc Koblar (2025).

Unfortunately, Amirov passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer. The Maple Leafs moved Minten in the Carlo deal. Hirvonen has yet to make the push for the big club and Danford is still likely a year away. Robertson is finally coming into his own at the NHL level and outside of Cowan, who’s finding his way, Knies might be the best pick of the lot – a second-round selection in 2021.

So imagine moving another one of your first-round prospects in a deal to acquire a player you’re going to have to secure with a bag full of money, if he’s willing to take $12 million to play in that market. Trading future assets for a potential playoff run isn’t something the Maple Leafs can realistically afford at the moment.

Maple Leafs Can’t Hand Robertson the Bag

To further the conversation, acquiring Robertson just to hand over $12 million doesn’t exactly sit well with where the team has got to salary cap-wise this season. For the first time in years, the Maple Leafs had money to spend at the beginning of the season, albeit not much. To lock that up again in one player again goes against the need for organizational depth and shifts the team’s direction back to a select group of core players.

But isn’t that part of the reason why the team needed to make a shift this offseason? Mitch Marner, who wanted to be paid like a star, left. To replace him with a $12-million Robertson would once again get away from the share-the-wealth-amongt-the-team mentality that we’ve seen make teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins successful over the years.

It’s not to say that Robertson isn’t worth that kind of money, but if the Maple Leafs start with $12 million for Robertson, the price tag on William Nylander’s next contract and Auston Matthews next contract inevitably jumps a couple million dollars as well. That’s not the direction you want to drive the team contract-wise.

Maple Leafs Should Wait Until Free Agency

At the end of the day, the Maple Leafs could wait and have this meant-to-be moment come free agency. Sure, Robertson could still get dealt at some point before the NHL’s trade deadline. However, if by some miracle, he makes it to free agency, then Treliving and the team can make the decision then on if they bring in the 26-year-old, instead of trading away a major asset in Cowan.

Let’s face it, the addition of Robertson would be incredibly beneficial for the Maple Leafs – especially on a multi-year deal. But to trade away more future assets doesn’t promise the team a Stanley Cup run, and it’s a move the team has been trying to execute for far too long.

At this point, Cowan looks like he’s clicking with the teammates and to shift what chemistry they do have right now likely wouldn’t benefit anyone in the room. As for Robertson, if free agency does roll around and he’s available, the Maple Leafs hold a bargaining chip like no other team in the NHL – his brother.

Rumoured or not, the Maple Leafs shouldn’t be connected to a Robertson deal for now. Unless the asking price for, what would be a rental, comes down significantly ahead of the deadline.