![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/calgary-flames-v-toronto-maple-leafs-toronto-on-april-13-nick-1-e1791547915849.jpg\")
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Former Toronto Maple Leafs $6.5 million forward thriving with new NHL team<\/p>\n
It might be early in the NHL<\/a> season, but the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>\u2018 Gavin McKenna era is off to a rough start. The latest hiccup on the road involves a\u00a04-3 loss<\/a> at the hands of former Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>. However, it\u2019s worth checking in on another former Maple Leafs forward, Nick Robertson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former Toronto Maple Leafs $6.5 Million Forward Thriving With The Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n \n Robertson was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> on July 1st, one of many moves made to free up cap space and clear the deck for the organization.<\/p>\n Following the trade, he signed a two-year, $6.5 million<\/a> deal with the Penguins. So far, the early returns have been good for the Penguins.<\/p>\n The 25-year-old winger<\/a> has only played four games with his new team, but Robertson has already scored three goals. Additionally, his average time on ice is already up.<\/p>\n Robertson has played 15:02, 13:35, 15:14, and 8:32. His average for the year is 13:06, which would be higher if it weren\u2019t for the outlier of the last Penguins game.<\/p>\n He has been given a golden opportunity in Pittsburgh. In his first four games, he has spent 63.4 percent of his playing time<\/a> on a line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. However, he has yet to find himself on the Penguins powerplay, which could be a great spot for him to further exploit teams with his notorious shot.<\/p>\n Sidney Crosby on Nick Robertson<\/p>\n \n One of the biggest fans of Robertson on his new team is none other than his most common linemate.<\/p>\n Crosby spoke on a podcast at the end of September. He discussed the shortened preseason and Robertson.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a shortened camp this year, so we have a lot less time to play together\u2026 but I think we\u2019ve gotten better as it\u2019s gone along,\u201d Crosby said about skating with Robertson<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that\u2019s got a lot of speed, a really good shot, so just want to try to find him in good areas to get that shot off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he works hard on both sides of the puck, so hopefully we can force some turnovers, and he can create with his speed.\u201d<\/p>\n Robertson may be early in his tenure with the Penguins, but a glowing review from one of the best players ever to lace up skates is certainly a feather in his cap. Crosby highlighted his shot, work ethic, and skating in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n Of all the storylines involving former Maple Leafs to follow this year, this will certainly be one fans will keep an eye on.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tCaleb Kerney<\/a> Caleb covers the NHL, MLB, and Cricket for Heavy.com. He has covered professional hockey since 2022, including bylines at Dobber Prospects, The Hockey Writers, and The Hockey News. More about Caleb Kerney<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Former Toronto Maple Leafs $6.5 million forward thriving with new NHL team It might be early in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":926563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,3302],"class_list":["post-926562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/926562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=926562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/926562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/926563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=926562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=926562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=926562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Pittsburgh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pittsburgh-penguins-v-philadelphia-flyers-philadelphia-pennsylvania-september-30-nick-robertson-1.jp.jpeg\")
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA \u2013 SEPTEMBER 30: Nick Robertson #14 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with Filip Hallander #11 after scoring a short-handed goal during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n![\"Pittsburgh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pittsburgh-penguins-v-philadelphia-flyers-philadelphia-pennsylvania-september-30-nick-robertson-2-e1.jpeg\")
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA \u2013 SEPTEMBER 30: Nick Robertson #14 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal with Kris Letang #58, Sidney Crosby #87 and Rickard Rakell #67 during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n