On the morning of September 10th, the news was broken that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be resigning 22-year-old California native, Nick Robertson to a one-year contract extension with an average annual value that carries 875 thousand dollars. Later that morning, Darren Dreger broke the news that the Leafs would also be signing 35-year-old grizzled veteran, Max Pacioretty to a professional contract tryout.
The Extension of Nick Robertson
The extension of Nick Robertson comes as a surprise to many because, after last season's disappointing finish, the 22-year-old requested a trade out of Toronto after his lack of playing time over his tenure with the storied franchise. Rumours claimed that the youngster had numerous talks with the new head coach, Craig Berube as well as the general manager, Brad Treliving who persuaded the bridge deal between the two parties. Berube reassured Robertson of the opportunities to be had especially in that middle six group that we have seen him perform so well in before. If Robertson is put in this role full-time, Leafs nation may finally be able to see a full breakout from the promising player as he scored 14 goals and 27 points in 56 games last year in a lesser role than he is being promised for the upcoming season. In addition to this, numerous insiders also confirmed that Nick Robertson may be more likely to get traded than not. This is something to keep our eyes on with the training camp.
(Photo Credit: TSN)
Max Pacioretty is a Toronto Maple Leaf
Shortly after the Robertson extension, the Maple Leafs announced the signing of 35-year-old veteran, Max Pacioretty. The Leafs, in dire need of a left winger, can expect to see Max make his regular season debut this year if the Leafs can clear up the cap to do so. Leafs fans can expect the forward to play somewhere in the bottom 6 with a 30-40-point upside in that role. Last season, Pacioretty netted 4 goals as well as 23 points in 47 games with the Washington Capitals. Although the prediction above is in the same ballpark as his total last season in only 47 games, Leafs fans can likely expect a decline from the 35-year-old veteran as he would be taking on a lesser role. A cause for concern with Max Pacioretty is his injury history as over the last 4 years, Max has not hit the 50 games played mark in the last 4 seasons with his best season totalling 51 points in 48 games with Vegas back in 2020-2021.
Summary
In the end, for the Maple Leafs, the deals are very low risk, high rewards prove it deals. This benefits the Leafs in numerous ways. If Pacioretty pans out, this would be huge for the locker room as the veteran knows what it takes to win. In contrast, having a good-value young player with a high upside like Robertson gives the Leafs a solid player but also gives decent enough trade value to make the move to trade him if need be.
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