Insider proposes interesting trade idea for the Leafs involving Nick Robertson
It's no secret that the Leafs have been very high on 2019 2nd round pick Nick Robertson since they drafted him. The same could be said about the Winnipeg Jets and 2019 1st round pick Ville Heinola. However, for one reason or another, neither player has been able to crack their respective NHL lineups with any regularity, which has some contemplating whether or not a change of scenery is in the cards.
On Friday, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli proposed an interesting idea, which would involve the Leafs and Jets making a 1-for-1 swap of Robertson for Heinola, polling his followers on Twitter to see what their take on the idea would be. Most are suggesting that Toronto says no in the deal, but a surprisingly large contingent of Seravalli's followers seem to believe that such a deal would be pretty balanced and would offer both sides something that they need.
Heinola was drafted by the Jets with the 20th overall pick in 2019 and was thought to be as close to a can't miss top-4 defender as there was in the draft. It hasn't quite worked out the way the Jets would have hoped, however, with Heinola skating in only 25 NHL games thus far, collecting 10 points over that span.
As far as Robertson goes, he was one of the youngest players in his draft class. In fact, had he been born just a few days later, Robertson would not have been draft eligible until 2020. Had that been the case, not only would he have likely been a first round pick, but he might have been a high one, thanks to his 55-goal, 86-point season in 2019-20.
Like Heinola, Robertson has appeared in just 26 NHL games to date, racking up just 7 points, 5 of which have come this season. Both players are under contract through 2023-24 and are waivers exempt. Robertson is signed at a ~$796K AAV, whereas Heinola is signed at a ~$863K AAV, so the Leafs would be taking on a bit of extra salary in such a swap, but the difference is fairly negligible - especially with the potential LTIR retirement by Jake Muzzin, should that occur.
This one is such an interesting one because the Leafs don't have many young defensive prospects on the way who are expected to be NHL locks. They do have Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin in the fold, but other than Topi Niemela, the defensive prospect cupboard is relatively thin. Inserting a prospect like Heinola could have its benefits for the Leafs.
In terms of what the impact might be up front with losing Robertson, the Buds still have Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, Nick Moldenhauer, Ty Voit and a few other interesting forward prospects in the pipeline. Of course, the unfortunate diagnosis for 2020 15th overall pick Rodion Amirov has left the Leafs a bit thinner than expected, but there is hope that Amirov will continue his treatments, beat cancer and could resume training and eventually make his way over from the KHL. Unfortunately, we don't know if/when that may be, as he was originally thought to be on track to resume training this month. That hasn't happened, which is certainly concerning, so everyone is hoping for the best for Rodion as he continues his fight with cancer.
Robertson does possess that NHL-caliber shot, a relentless work ethic and the right mindset. Unfortunately, his size does appear to be hindering him a bit and his level of production hasn't been enough to keep him in the lineup. Heinola is not exactly a big body either, standing just 5'11, and a hair under 180 lbs, but we do know that agile, mobile defensemen have a place in today's NHL, thanks to the uptick in the importance of speed, skill and hockey IQ. Still, the concern is there in the sense that it's much harder for a 180-pound defenseman to clear the front of the net than it is for a 6'3, 210-pound defenseman.
I'm very high on Robertson, personally, and I don't know how I'd feel if they traded him. However, trading him for a defensive prospect with a reasonably high ceiling, it might make some sense for the Buds. It would just be a matter of the Leafs' scouting seeing enough from Heinola to warrant dealing away a potential top-6 scoring winger. If they have doubts about Heinola panning out, I'd stand pat, personally.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 18 | 393 ANSWERS Insider proposes interesting trade idea for the Leafs involving Nick Robertson should the Leafs trade Nick Robertson for Ville Heinola in a 1-for-1 deal? | ||
| Yes | 135 | 34.4 % |
| No | 258 | 65.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
