Question marks remain for Nick Robertson after career-best year with the Maple Leafs

The past few seasons have seen Nick Robertson turn from one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospects into one of its biggest question marks.

“I’m not gonna take a deep dive on my future, I don’t know what my future holds,” Robertson said, in early April. “But I will say that everyone here has been unbelievable with me. For my family, for me, guys here this year, I love these guys.”

As he awaits his fate come July, here’s a look back at how Robertson fared through the 2025-26 season.

How the year went

Just like the 2024-25 season, Robertson started with a strong preseason campaign, but went quiet through the start of the year. On October 24th, he sat out as a healthy scratch for the first time in the season. He returned to the roster the following night and scored his first goal of the year, then adding two more in the subsequent three games. Robertson has long had a reputation as a ‘scratch-and-score’ player, often finding the back of the net after sitting out. After pulling it off again this year, he admitted he’s well aware of the feat.

“I’m a veteran when it comes to that stuff, I know the whole deal,” Robertson told The Leafs Nation’s Nick Alberga in November. “Honestly, I think it’s kind of a blessing in disguise for me to not be complacent. Playing a lot more minutes doesn’t guarantee the next night, or the one after that. And I think I haven’t gotten to that point where I’ve proven myself to be a top-six player every single game, so I’ve got to earn it.”

From there, Robertson played a consistent role on the team, albeit in a whole lot of roles, jumping around as Berube tried different combinations. He enjoyed a brief stint on Matthews’ wing on the top line. And by the middle of the season, he was finding some success on Toronto’s third line, playing alongside Nicolas Roy and Easton Cowan. In a year where the Leafs were criticized for easing off too much, Robertson was recognized for improving his overall compete. Partly owing to his small size at 5-foot-9, 180 lbs, Robertson had been criticized in the past for lacking on the defensive side. This year, he showed more aggression and bite in his game, and a drive to commit on both ends of the ice.

Robertson ended the year with career-highs across the board, by a small margin. In 78 games played, he tallied 16 goals and 16 assists, averaging 12:40 TOI/game. His goal total placed him sixth on the team in scoring this season, with the sixth-most shots on net (127). While these numbers still don’t match the expectations of where he’d be at this point in his career, it shows steady improvement from where he was a year ago.

Statistical profile



High danger Corsi for percentage


Expected goals for per 60
Expected goals against per 60		306th

All stats on 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick, among all players with 400 minutes or greater.

Robertson’s advanced stats paint a picture of a still mid-tier player showing very marginal improvements over last season. Just like last year, his stats show that the Leafs were shooting a lot with him on the ice, but not converting at a high rate. The most notable improvement in his statistical profile compared to a year ago is in his High Danger Corsi for percentage, which improved by over six per cent. As opposed to last season, Robertson was getting into more high danger areas and shooting. Accordingly, he was able to increase his production, if only slightly.

His expected goals for per 60 rate improved from 2.5 last year, but still sat right around the average of Toronto skaters (with 400+ minutes played) at 2.89. His expected goals against per 60 rate worsened year-over-year, not surprising considering the team’s defensive collapse. Still, it was fourth best on the Leafs, well below the team average of 3.52.

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ROBERTSON BACK IN THE LINEUP AND SCORES!!!!

📽️: Sportsnet | NHL

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How the year went

Statistical profile

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