Nick Robertson heads into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ final pre-season game in an uncertain, but familiar spot. The forward joins a mostly AHL lineup that will head southwest to take on the Detroit Red Wings in the final pre-season game of 2025.
Last year, Robertson earned a spot on the club’s opening-night lineup. This year, he’s on the outside looking in, along with veteran forwards Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf, the latter of whom was placed on waivers and will not join the playing group.
Talking to reporters on Saturday ahead of the pre-season game, Robertson agreed with the assertion that it felt like ‘Groundhog Day’.
“It’s something I've dealt with before. I mean, obviously you want to be playing more and you want to be in that consistent lineup, but it is what it is,” Robertson said. He added, “Season starts about a week, anything can change, so I've just got to be confident and play well”.
Easton Cowan appears to be nearing the finish line, but the rookie will be the only Maple Leafs player to play in five of Toronto’s six pre-season contests as the club gets one more look at the prospect.
While Robertson may not make the opening-night lineup, he should be on the club’s 23-man roster barring a trade. The Leafs have the salary cap room to carry a full 23-man roster in addition to the 20 players who dress for a game. It may not be ideal, but this situation provides the player some protection from being routinely sent up and down.
The 24-year-old Robertson scored a career-high 15 goals and added seven assists in 69 games last season, playing in three of Toronto’s 13 postseason contests in 2025.
This past offseason, Robertson signed a one-year, $1.825 million contract, avoiding arbitration. The previous summer, the player requested a trade out of Toronto but eventually signed on for another season.
The impetus for a trade isn’t as high this time around, but anything can happen between now and when Toronto’s regular season begins against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 8.
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