‘Great opportunity’: Leafs Closing In On Agreement To Sign Excellent Forward
On Monday, the Maple Leafs general manager refused to confirm that the 22-year-old winger wants to leave Toronto via trade request, stating only that he understands Robertson’s “frustration” last season.
“We see Nick as an excellent player,” Treliving added. “And Nick has a fantastic potential here. We need him to be an effective player for us. So I’m not going to engage in any speculation or public debate. We’ll leave it at that and keep moving forward.”
After Sheldon Keefe’s firing, one would expect Robertson to welcome a fresh start under new Leafs coach Craig Berube, but we’ll see how things play out during the summer. On Sunday, the Leafs extended Robertson a qualifying offer for $813,750 US.
Even if Treliving adds a forward or two in the next months of the off-season — he focused on defense and goaltending on the opening day of free agency — Robertson should have a solid shot at a full-time job in 2024-25.
There was no update from the GM on talented winger Mitch Marner. The first day that Marner could sign an extension beyond next season was July 1, but at his media availability, Treliving was not in the mood to talk about Marner.
“Craig alluded to it at his last press availability — he’s excited to coach him,” he stated. “We aren’t going to discuss it. Mitch is training, preparing for the season.”
Which is exactly what Marner should be doing. Just don’t expect the white noise around Marner and his future to subside anytime soon.
