Utah HC can offer the Leafs exactly what they need in a Nick Robertson trade
Toronto and Utah could be perfect trade partners with both clubs holding onto young talent in need of a change of scenery in Nick Robertson and Victor Soderstrom.
It is being reported by Craig Morgan, columnist and feature writer for PHNX Sports and purveyor of all news related to the newly formed Utah Hockey Club, that while the organization is hoping to re-sign Soderstrom, they are also exploring trade options in case things don't work out.
The Arizona Coyotes were so keen on Soderstrom during the 2019 NHL Entry Draft that they traded up in a move with the Philadelphia Flyers from 14th overall to 11th overall to secure his services. Following that selection, the Minnesota Wild drafted Matthew Boldy, the Florida Panthers selected Spencer Knight, the Flyers drafted Cam York, and the Montreal Canadiens drafted Cole Caufield - perhaps a missed opportunity, considering they also sent the Flyers a second round pick.
Soderstrom, a Gavle, Sweden native, stands in at 5'11 and 185 pounds, is a right-shooting defenseman, and has the capabilities of becoming a good offensive defenseman. However, his opportunities with the Coyotes were severely limited as he only appeared in 53 games at the NHL-level across 4 seasons between 2020-21 and 2023-24. His career-high to date is 30 games played and 9 points, both of which were accomplished during the 2022-23 season.
At the AHL-level, Soderstrom has appeared in 170 games, where he has scored 18 goals and 82 points across 4 seasons, with 2023-24 being his best to date as he accumulated 9 goals and 32 points in just 62 games.
The 23-year-old has the potential to be a top-4 blueliner at some point in his career. He has the makings of a solid two-way defenseman with offensive upside, and is an excellent skater. Soderstrom is currently an RFA, but at this stage of his career, he wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to re-sign and the upside is tremendous, especially for a Maple Leafs club looking for creativity and youth on their back-end. The Leafs don't have a lot of defensive prospects in the system with the potential that Soderstrom has, so acquiring him would be exciting.
On the flip side, Robertson could be the perfect trade chip for the Leafs as he represents another highly touted prospect that never reached his potential for one reason or another. He was also stunted in terms of playing time with just 87 games of NHL-action in parts of 4 seasons, primarily due to injuries at the beginning of his career.
Utah is looking for offensive pieces and Robertson fits their core age group and style of play like a glove. He would also be able to slide into a prominent role right off the hop with power play time, which is something the Leafs can't offer.
While there was a lot of trade chatter between these two clubs regarding Mitch Marner earlier in the off-season, a Soderstrom for Robertson trade makes sense for both parties involved and would help jumpstart the careers of two highly touted prospects that have the potential to be solid performers.
Source for Victor Soderstrom statistics: HockeyDB
Victor Soderstrom
Source for Nicholas Robertson's statistics: Hockey DB
Nicholas Robertson
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 14 | 408 ANSWERS Utah HC can offer the Leafs exactly what they need in a Nick Robertson trade Would you do a Soderstrom for Robertson swap? | ||
| Yes, Soderstrom would bolster the back-end | 241 | 59.1 % |
| No, Soderstrom hasn't proven his worth yet | 167 | 40.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
