With an arbitration date that had originally been set for Jul. 28, the Pittsburgh Penguins and one of their newly acquired forwards have reached a settlement agreement to avoid arbitration altogether.

Nicholas Robertson, who was acquired by the Penguins on Jul. 1 from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2028 fourth-round pick, came to terms on a two-year deal worth $3.75 million annually. In 78 games with the Maple Leafs last season, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound left wing registered 16 goals and 32 points, and he has 48 goals and 88 points in 234 NHL games dispersed across parts of six seasons. 

The Penguins elected to take a chance on Robertson when he became available as an RFA trade option on Jul. 1, and they were able to get an original trade deal across the finish line. Robertson requested a trade from the Leafs two summers ago, but Pittsburgh felt now was the right time to take advantage.

"To be honest, this morning, Nick came up," Penguins' assistant general manager Jason Spezza said on Jul. 1. "And, because we had the space and we had the ability and the picks to make the move quickly, we were able to move fast on it."

Robertson, 24, is the younger brother of Dallas Stars superstar winger Jason, who has also been the subject of trade rumors involving the Penguins. Nick joins a crowded cast of forwards for the Penguins, as they have also added Andrei Kuzmenko and Hendrix Lapierre and just signed RFA forward Egor Chinakhov to a three-year extension.

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