<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6039043/2025/01/06/canucks-pettersson-miller-rangers-quenneville/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic&#8217;s Chris Johnston,</a> the Toronto Maple Leafs want to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/report-toronto-maple-leafs-want-acquire-middle-six-centre-before-nhl-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquire a middle-six centre</a> before the trade deadline. Adding more depth for what could be a long playoff run is a wise move by GM Brad Treliving. However, this could have some direct impacts on two Maple Leafs—Max Domi and Nick Robertson.</span></p>
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<p>Domi has been slotted in as the third-line centre for most of the season. After a very slow start offensively, he has come on of late, finding some chemistry with Bobby McMann and Robertson specifically, as the trio has played a ton together as the Leafs&#8217; third line. Entering Thursday&#8217;s action, Domi has registered 14 points in 34 games.</p>
<p>The report of Treliving looking for a middle-six centre certainly sends out warning shots that the Maple Leafs&#8217; GM doesn&#8217;t necessarily love Domi as his 3C. So, could Domi be a trade chip in a potential deal, despite signing a long-term contract this past summer, one where many felt he took a home-town discount? The short answer is &#8211; likely not.</p>
<p>Domi&#8217;s versatility is one of the reasons Treliving extended him for four years. He has experience playing both wings and can certainly be moved up in the lineup in a more offensive role if needed. Yes, Domi certainly has some warts defensively and is a bit of a work in progress with his 200-foot game, but his ability to facilitate can be helpful regardless of where he&#8217;s slotted in the lineup. The only issue is, if Domi is going to play the wing on the third line, which could become a shutdown line, he&#8217;ll need to be more physical. Through 34 games he&#8217;s only landed nine hits.</p>
<p>Domi holds a 13-team no-trade clause on his current deal, but at this point, it would be a borderline shock to see him moved before March 7. Nick Robertson on the other hand, is a totally different story.</p>
<p>Robertson was a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers and has been scratched on numerous occasions throughout the season. Much like Domi, Robertson had an awfully slow start to the season. However, he is now up to six goals and 10 points in 34 points. Yes, he has 20-goal potential, but unfortunately, Robertson&#8217;s been one-dimensional throughout his young career and hasn&#8217;t necessarily impacted the game in enough facets to gain all of Berube&#8217;s trust this year.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s also the fact last summer <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/nick-robertson-trade-request-i-knew-i-was-going-to-be-back-in-toronto">Robertson wanted out</a> and management wouldn&#8217;t grant him his wish, because it was obvious they wanted to get Berube a chance to build a relationship with Robertson and see what he could produce in a new system. While there have been some flashes of brilliance, Robertson&#8217;s a very inconsistent player, who isn&#8217;t versatile by any means. He&#8217;s a shooter, he looks for his shot constantly, and yes, he has some decent vision, but at 5-foot-9, it&#8217;s become obvious Berube has much more faith in Bobby McMann&#8217;s power game than Robertson.</p>
<p>The end result is that Robertson could potentially be moved before March 7. If a middle-six centre is acquired, a possible scenario is Domi shifts to the wing, and Robertson is shipped out in that deal, potentially in a separate trade to add more depth on the blueline. With McMann producing and recently moved up in the lineup, the duo of Matthew Knies and Max Pacioretty not going anywhere, all signs are pointing to Robertson being the odd man out.</p>
<p>The interesting part will be to see how Treliving handles the financials. The Maple Leafs have a projected $1.35 million in cap space heading into the deadline, and Robertson only makes $875,000 against the cap. Expect to see some salary retention as part of any Leafs&#8217; trade, and a Maple Leafs&#8217; sweetener involved in the trade as a result.</p>
<p>Domi&#8217;s versatility is a small part of what makes him an effective forward, but unfortunately for Robertson, he&#8217;s very one-dimensional, and if the Leafs add another proven forward to the mix, he could be getting his wish from this past offseason, and moving on to another organization.</p>
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Max Domi, Morgan Rielly and Nick Robertson of the Maple Leafs.

<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6039043/2025/01/06/canucks-pettersson-miller-rangers-quenneville/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's Chris Johnston,</a> the Toronto Maple Leafs want to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/report-toronto-maple-leafs-want-acquire-middle-six-centre-before-nhl-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquire a middle-six centre</a> before the trade deadline. Adding more depth for what could be a long playoff run is a wise move by GM Brad Treliving. However, this could have some direct impacts on two Maple Leafs—Max Domi and Nick Robertson.</span>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
Domi has been slotted in as the third-line centre for most of the season. After a very slow start offensively, he has come on of late, finding some chemistry with Bobby McMann and Robertson specifically, as the trio has played a ton together as the Leafs' third line. Entering Thursday's action, Domi has registered 14 points in 34 games.

The report of Treliving looking for a middle-six centre certainly sends out warning shots that the Maple Leafs' GM doesn't necessarily love Domi as his 3C. So, could Domi be a trade chip in a potential deal, despite signing a long-term contract this past summer, one where many felt he took a home-town discount? The short answer is - likely not.

Domi's versatility is one of the reasons Treliving extended him for four years. He has experience playing both wings and can certainly be moved up in the lineup in a more offensive role if needed. Yes, Domi certainly has some warts defensively and is a bit of a work in progress with his 200-foot game, but his ability to facilitate can be helpful regardless of where he's slotted in the lineup. The only issue is, if Domi is going to play the wing on the third line, which could become a shutdown line, he'll need to be more physical. Through 34 games he's only landed nine hits.

Domi holds a 13-team no-trade clause on his current deal, but at this point, it would be a borderline shock to see him moved before March 7. Nick Robertson on the other hand, is a totally different story.

Robertson was a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers and has been scratched on numerous occasions throughout the season. Much like Domi, Robertson had an awfully slow start to the season. However, he is now up to six goals and 10 points in 34 points. Yes, he has 20-goal potential, but unfortunately, Robertson's been one-dimensional throughout his young career and hasn't necessarily impacted the game in enough facets to gain all of Berube's trust this year.

There's also the fact last summer <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/nick-robertson-trade-request-i-knew-i-was-going-to-be-back-in-toronto">Robertson wanted out</a> and management wouldn't grant him his wish, because it was obvious they wanted to get Berube a chance to build a relationship with Robertson and see what he could produce in a new system. While there have been some flashes of brilliance, Robertson's a very inconsistent player, who isn't versatile by any means. He's a shooter, he looks for his shot constantly, and yes, he has some decent vision, but at 5-foot-9, it's become obvious Berube has much more faith in Bobby McMann's power game than Robertson.

The end result is that Robertson could potentially be moved before March 7. If a middle-six centre is acquired, a possible scenario is Domi shifts to the wing, and Robertson is shipped out in that deal, potentially in a separate trade to add more depth on the blueline. With McMann producing and recently moved up in the lineup, the duo of Matthew Knies and Max Pacioretty not going anywhere, all signs are pointing to Robertson being the odd man out.

The interesting part will be to see how Treliving handles the financials. The Maple Leafs have a projected $1.35 million in cap space heading into the deadline, and Robertson only makes $875,000 against the cap. Expect to see some salary retention as part of any Leafs' trade, and a Maple Leafs' sweetener involved in the trade as a result.

Domi's versatility is a small part of what makes him an effective forward, but unfortunately for Robertson, he's very one-dimensional, and if the Leafs add another proven forward to the mix, he could be getting his wish from this past offseason, and moving on to another organization.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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How Maple Leafs’ trade aspirations could impact Max Domi and Nick Robertson

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