What happened: The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Nick Robertson to a two-year deal worth $3.25 million annually, avoiding an arbitration hearing Tuesday. The AAV is nearly double the $1.82 million cap hit he carried with Toronto last season. GM Kyle Dubas, who drafted Robertson in the second round in 2019, is committing real money to a player who spent his Leafs tenure in a bottom-six role.
Why it matters: Robertson posted career highs of 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 78 games last season while averaging just 11:52 of ice time, buried on Toronto's depth chart behind Matthew Knies, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. A cap hit this size suggests Pittsburgh views him as a top-nine forward rather than a 13th man, fitting Dubas' pattern of targeting players with NHL tools who lacked opportunity, similar to the bets on Justin Brazeau and Egor Chinakhov.
By the numbers: In 234 career NHL games, Robertson has tallied 48 goals, 40 assists and 88 points on a 12.5% shooting percentage.
What to watch: Robertson projects to open on Pittsburgh's third line alongside Ben Kindel and Andrei Kuzmenko for 2026-27, with Gavin McKenna set to take a prominent wing role for the Penguins.