2 Teams Showing Interest in Nick Robertson Trade with Maple Leafs

After spending the summer asking to be traded, then starting the year with one goal in 19 games, it looked like Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson just might get his way, for all the wrong reasons.

Things began looking up during a four goals in six-games stretch in December. But there he was again earlier this week, as a healthy scratch in Toronto's win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, after seeing his time on ice dwindle to just eight minutes in the previous game.

It appears that Nick Robertson's days as a Maple Leaf will almost certainly come to an end after all, as they continue to "dangle him as trade bait", per insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

With less than eight weeks until the trade deadline, which teams are interested in the disappointing 23-year-old? Pagnotta tells us the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken have the former second-rounder on their radars.

Seattle Kraken

There could be a ready-made trade fit with the Kraken and Leafs, as Toronto is searching for a middle-six center. Yanni Gourde is an impending UFA, coming off a six-year deal that pays him an AAV of $5.16 million. There would need to be some retention on Seattle's part to make this happen.

At 5'9", Gourde does not exactly fit the Craig Berube mold, but he uses his 174 pounds to the utmost, handing out 156 hits last year, and is at 58 through 35 games this season. He also knows what it takes to win, as he has two Stanley Cup rings from his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He recorded 13 goals over those two playoff runs in 2020 and 2021.

Dallas Stars

Perhaps star forward Jason Robertson has been putting in a good word for his little brother, as the Stars are said to have interest in Nick as well. Two years older, but eminently more evolved as a player, Jason Robertson might the one to help unlock Nick's potential. In addition, the Stars might see something in the younger Robertson due to his performance against them over the years. Although it's a small sample size, in five games against Dallas, Nick Robertson has three goals and four points, tied for his most goals against any team in the league.