The long-running Nick Robertson trade watch in Toronto is finally over.
The Maple Leafs are sending the forward to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto is getting a fourth-round pick back in the deal. Robertson’s exit had been building for a while, but the move still closes the book on a saga that stretched across multiple seasons of rumors, stalled talks and renewed speculation.
Robertson’s production last season gave the Leafs a useful depth scorer on paper. In 78 games, he finished with 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points.
The trade chatter around him never really disappeared. Robertson first asked for a move in the summer of 2024, but when Toronto couldn’t line up a deal, he stayed put and eventually signed a one-year contract. The rumors picked up again in the fall of 2025, when then-GM Brad Treliving was reportedly taking calls from Pittsburgh and Columbus.
Toronto even tried to send Robertson to Columbus in October in a straight-up swap for Yegor Chinakhov, but the Blue Jackets turned it down. Pittsburgh never went through with a deal at the time either, though interest from the Penguins was still believed to be there.
By the 2025-26 season, the situation had only gotten more unsettled. Ice-time problems and healthy scratches kept coming, and with the Leafs retooling under new GM John Chayka this offseason, Robertson had again emerged as a likely trade piece. Toronto is also going after Zach Werenski on a trade and could be a landing spot for pending UFA Sergei Bobrovsky, with clearing cap space a major part of the offseason plan.
In Other News...
Former Penguins Depth Defenseman Just Landed A Stunning Long Term Deal
Ryan Sheas climb has taken an unexpected turn for a player who once looked like depth insurance. The 29-year-old left-shot defenseman made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh in 2023-24 after being drafted by the Blackhawks back in 2015, and after carving out a foothold, he just earned a major payday from Edmonton in the form of a five-year deal worth $4 million per season.
For the Penguins, it is another reminder of how quickly a low-profile blueliner can turn into a sought-after piece once he finds his footing. Sheas breakout in 2025-26 gave the Oilers plenty to buy into, and the timing of the move was notable, coming shortly after Edmonton sent Darnell Nurse to San Jose as it reshaped its defense for the long term. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Made A Quiet Forward Move Worth Watching
Atley Calverts climb has been a patient one, and the Penguins have now given it a little more structure with a two-year, entry-level contract for the 22-year-old winger. The undrafted forward arrived in the organization after working through the AHL and ECHL, the kind of path that usually means every step has to be earned rather than assumed.
Calvert has shown enough along the way to keep moving up, with 52 points in 96 AHL games after standing out as a scorer in junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors. For Pittsburgh, it is a low-key move on paper, but the sort of depth signing that can matter if a young forward keeps translating production into a bigger opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins May Finally Use A Painful Contract To Fix Their Blue Line
The Penguins search for help on the blue line has led them back to a familiar kind of solution, one tied to a contract that has been difficult to move and a defenseman who has long carried real value. According to a report from Sportsnets Nick Kypreos, Pittsburgh has shown interest in Edmontons Darnell Nurse, with Ryan Graves at the center of the framework the Penguins have put in front of the Oilers.
So far, Edmonton has reportedly not been willing to absorb Graves deal, which leaves the idea stuck at the bargaining stage for now. The next step appears to hinge on how much Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is willing to adjust his position to get a trade done, and whether Pittsburgh would need to add more to persuade Edmonton to take on the contract baggage and turn the concept into something workable. [Read more 🡒]