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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
The Nicholas Robertson deal has been finalised in Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old forward signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Penguins on Tuesday, thereby avoiding a salary arbitration hearing, the date of which had not yet been announced. The average annual salary stands at $3.25 million.
A fresh start after seven years in Toronto
Acquired by Pittsburgh on 1 July in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2028 draft, Robertson has definitively turned the page on his time in Toronto.
Acquired by Pittsburgh on 1 July in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2028 draft, Robertson has definitively turned the page on his time in Toronto. Selected in the second round (53rd overall) by the Maple Leafs in 2019, the left-winger had never really managed to establish himself on a long-term basis in the top-six offence of a team built for the play-offs.
Last season saw him make a partial breakthrough: 32 points, including 16 goals and 16 assists, in 78 games. These personal bests gave him a strong bargaining chip in negotiations. On 5 July, Robertson officially filed for arbitration, a standard procedure for restricted free agents wishing to speed up negotiations.
Pittsburgh bolsters its attack
This signing is part of a wider overhaul of the Penguins’ attack. Kyle Dubas, president of hockey operations, has already signed Yegor Chinakhov (3 years, 18.75 million) and Andrei Kuzmenko (1 year) this summer. Robertson’s arrival brings depth and youth to a squad looking to regain competitiveness after two seasons without a play-off appearance.
The Pasadena, California, native has now racked up 88 points (48 goals, 40 assists) in 234 regular-season NHL matches. His play-off experience remains limited: 3 points in 13 matches, all played whilst wearing the Leafs’ jersey.
A family affair
The Robertson name continues to carry weight in the NHL. Jason Robertson, Nicholas’s older brother, is one of the Dallas Stars’ top forwards and is also undergoing arbitration this summer. The two brothers, two years apart in age, have followed contrasting paths: Jason, an established star in Dallas, and Nicholas, who is still looking to turn his potential into consistent output.
In Pittsburgh, amidst a rapidly changing squad, Robertson will have the opportunity to prove that he deserves more than just a depth role. The two-year contract, often referred to as a ‘bridge deal’ in NHL jargon, offers him financial security whilst leaving him the option to negotiate a more lucrative contract at the age of 26, when he is in his prime. By avoiding salary arbitration, the player and the Penguins have also avoided a hearing where a third-party arbitrator would have set the salary based on comparable cases — a process that rarely favours the athlete. Robertson’s camp thus regains full control of his next contract cycle, whilst Pittsburgh secures for two seasons an offensive asset capable of playing in its top nine. A shrewd move for both sides, reflecting a summer in which Kyle Dubas has been methodically rebuilding the Penguins’ attack.
For the Penguins, the challenge is clear: to return to the play-offs after two seasons without a play-off appearance. The 2026–27 season will begin with Robertson under the spotlight, in an expanded attacking role. Pittsburgh is banking on depth and youth to revitalise a franchise that needs to turn a new page and prove it can still aim for the top. It remains to be seen whether this new forward will be able to seize his opportunity.