It’s officially September which means we have hockey this month. As we are under a week and a half away from the start of training camps, teams are looking to add some depth to find players who may have slipped through the cracks of free agency. Some teams are bringing players in on professional try-outs (PTOs), while some are going internal to find the next crop of guys to play on the NHL roster. However, many players are still unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and restricted free agents (RFAs). The St. Louis Blues made waves when they offer-sheeted Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers. In this day in age of the NHL, there aren’t many offer sheets going around and it makes one think, could we see more in the future?
Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, they are no strangers to offer sheets as they gave one to Jesperi Kotkaniemi when he was still with the Montreal Canadiens. This was after the Canadiens tried to steal Sebastian Aho away before they matched the offer to keep him in Carolina. All of that to say, could the Hurricanes go down that road again but this time with the Toronto Maple Leafs? Fans and the NHL world already know that they will use the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) since the 2004-05 Lockout to help them and the salary cap. So if they can use the deferred payment rule that helped them lock up both Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis long-term, general manager Eric Tulsky is well within his right to use the CBA with offer sheets as well.
So let’s dive into why the Hurricanes should offer sheet Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson.
Change of Scenery for Robertson
One of the many news cycles out of Toronto is that the 22-year-old Californian native wants out. After tallying 14 goals and 27 points in 56 games during the 2023-24 season where he was sent back and forth between the Maple Leafs and the Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL), it seems the younger of the Robertson brothers – big brother Jason plays for the Dallas Stars – is ready to get a chance somewhere else. He averaged .48 points per game last season (seventh among 2024 RFAs) and had only four penalty minutes total. Robertson is coming off the most games played since being drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2019 during the second round.
He has been dealing with injuries for most of his career which has held him back from breaking out. However, last season saw one where he proved that he is ready for everyday play in…
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