Announcement: Golden Knights Agree Deal To Sign Rivals Skilled 5′9″, 178 lb Forward

The Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly interested in signing disgruntled Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson.

Robertson, a pending restricted free agent, has requested a trade from Toronto after growing upset with his lack of playing time over the years. According to Adam Proteau of The Hockey News, the 22-year-old is not interested in renewing his contract with the Maple Leafs and believes the Golden Knights are a better fit for him.

“Landing Robertson would give Vegas a boost in their middle-six group of forwards. The Leafs would be satisfied with one of the Golden Knights’ second-rounders (they have all three second-rounders in the next three drafts), and Robertson would be much closer to home than he is in Toronto,” Proteau wrote.

“The Leafs might settle for a decent prospect instead of a draft pick, but whatever the case may be, Vegas would add a potential 20-25-goal scorer without removing anything from the NHL roster, and Toronto would get rid of an unhappy camper, freeing up a roster spot for a youngster like Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten. It’s a win-win situation for both sides, and it’s the type of trade that frequently occurs in hockey’s top league,” Proteau added.

A trade to Vegas makes sense, given that the Golden Knights lost Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Anthony Mantha in free agency. Vegas has to add another skilled forward to their top six, which Robertson can do.

Robertson was drafted 53rd overall in the 2019 NHL draft but has only skated in 87 regular season games over parts of four seasons. In those 87 games, he’s recorded 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points.

Although Robertson has asked for a trade, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said he doesn’t want to move the 22-year-old.

Treliving sees Robertson as an essential member on their squad and wants to re-sign him for the 2024-25 NHL season.

“Certainly, I was aware of some irritation on Nick’s side. But we see Nick as an outstanding player, and there’s a great chance for him here, and we need him to perform well for us,” Treliving told the media on July 1. “I am not going to engage in any speculation or public back-and-forth. We’ll leave it at that and keep moving forward.”

If Robertson does re-sign with the Maple Leafs he would project to be the team’s second-line left winger.

Golden Knights Having Lackluster Offseason

Vegas had a disappointing offseason because the Golden Knights lacked cap space.

Vegas lost several players in free agency, including Marchessault, Stephenson, Alec Martinez, William Carrier, Mantha, and Michael Amadio. They also traded goalkeeper Logan Thompson.

In free agency, the Golden Knights only signed depth forward Zach Aston-Reese, forward Victor Olofsson, and goaltender Ilya Samsonov to back up Adin Hill.

Vegas currently has just over $1.3 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly, so the Golden Knights still have a bit of room to add a player or two.