The New York Rangers have a glaring hole on the right wing. With the off-season addition of Reilly Smith in an attempt to fill the hole, Chris Drury has had another attempt to fill the void created when he gifted Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues for a coupon for that sandwich place on 5th Avenue. But we're not here to talk about the pain of the past; we're here to discuss the possible future solution to the problem.
Right now, Smith joins Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and a rotation of Jimmy Vesey, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe on the right wing. But the Rangers can add another name to that if they target the Toronto Maple Leafs want-away winger in Nicholas Robertson. Robertson is the brother of Dallas Stars' winger Jason, a young player with significant upside wanting a change of scenery. Robertson has been trying to find a new home this summer as a restricted free agent, but with limited options, he signed a new contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Robertson is coming off his entry-level contract, but Daily Faceoff's Frank Serevalli suggests that the Californian-born winger is more likely to be moved than to remain in Toronto. With it always being easier to move a player under contract than as an RFA, the Rangers could be swimming around the Toronto Maple Leafs here looking for a cheap depth option that could add some great scoring options.
Despite new contract, belief is Nick Robertson is still more likely to be traded than open the season with the #Leafs.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 10, 2024
There is still solid interest in Robertson. And it's always easier to trade an asset under contract as opposed to an RFA, which helped him sign.
Robertson wants to go somewhere he can play further up the lineup, and the Rangers can offer that with the chasm on the right in the top-six. There is an issue of Robertson being a natural left-winger. Still, most good wingers can play both sides, and Robertson would be much better positioned to play in the top six next to players like Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad than he would be on the third line anyway. It does throw a small wrench in the idea, but there is still a little logic to this idea.
New York needs cheap, cost-effective players to help the incoming cap crunch, and Robertson does that. Coming off a season where he scored 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 56 games, this 22-year-old already has 17 career goals to go with his 17 assists in 87 career games. Considering he's done that playing primarily in the bottom six in Toronto, that's not bad. He's making just $800,000 this year, which would look much better in the lineup than someone like Jonny Brodzinski.
There's a risk to it, but it also has a high payout chance. So, let's talk about what the Rangers would have to part with to land Robertson. This is hard because his value is not so clear-cut. You could justify the Maple Leafs asking for a second-round pick for the player coming off a 30-goal season, but the fact that everyone knows he wants out will hurt his value. So maybe a third-rounder? But then he has 14 goals in 56 games; that's a 20-goal pace. He struggles defensively, as most young players do, and he's not great along the boards, but he'd put up points.
So, I leave the question to you. Would you like to see the New York Rangers attempt to land the player? For me, he'd look terrific here. As a long-term add, too, you'll get more value with Robertson than you are likely to get out of a mid-round pick. He's not going to eat a ton of cap space, and if things don't go well, it's a very tradeable asset. I like the fit. I know a lot of others don't.