The Nick Robertson experiment in Toronto always felt like it was on a year-to-year leash. Now he’s finally getting a little breathing room.
Robertson and the Pittsburgh Penguins settled on a two-year contract worth $3.25 million per season, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman. The deal keeps the 23-year-old winger in Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 season, after which he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. It’s not a long-term commitment, but for a guy who had played exclusively on one-year deals since his entry-level contract expired, it’s a real vote of confidence.
The new contract is a substantial raise from the $1.825 million he made last season. Robertson was scheduled for an arbitration hearing later this month, but that’s now off the table. The Penguins and the player both avoided that messy process, which is always a good sign for the locker room.
There’s a nice symmetry here. Robertson was drafted 53rd overall in 2019 by then-Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. Dubas is now the Penguins’ president of hockey operations, and he just handed a multi-year deal to a guy he clearly still believes in. That matters more than you’d think. Sometimes front office relationships carry weight when other teams might not offer the same patience.
What the Penguins Are Getting
Robertson just finished the best season of his career. In 78 games, he scored 16 goals and added 16 assists. Not eye-popping numbers, but steady production from a guy who couldn’t crack the Maple Leafs’ full-time lineup until the 2023-24 season. That year he played 56 games, put up 14 goals and 13 assists. So the trajectory is real and consistent.
He’s not a star. He’s not going to replace Sidney Crosby’s production. But for a Penguins team that needs affordable depth scoring and has cap constraints to worry about, a $3.25 million AAV for a 23-year-old who’s trending up is a solid piece of business. The Penguins have been trying to shore up their forward depth all offseason, and Robertson gives them a young, motivated option who still has room to develop.
The trade itself was a minor one when it happened. Pittsburgh sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to Toronto for Robertson in early July. It didn’t make huge waves nationally. But in the context of the Penguins’ roster construction, it was a smart flyer on a player who never quite got a fair shot with the Leafs. Now Dubas is giving him that shot.
The only question is whether Robertson can stay healthy and consistent over a full two-year stretch. He’s had some injury issues in the past, nothing catastrophic but enough to keep him from establishing a rhythm. If he stays on the ice, this contract could look like a bargain pretty quickly. If not, it’s a manageable number for a team that isn’t exactly swimming in cap space.
Either way, Robertson doesn’t have to worry about another arbitration hearing this summer. That alone probably feels like a win.
Leave a Comment