Nicholas Robertson has longed for a fresh start with more opportunity and may finally get it with a pair of Western Conference teams interested in his services.

Former second-round pick Nick Robertson requested a trade out of Toronto in June, but ultimately agreed to a one-year deal to remain with the Maple Leafs ahead of training camp.

Robertson was expected to take on more of an offensive role with the Leafs, especially after a very productive pre-season. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old failed to carry over that momentum to the regular season, failing to score his first goal of the season until November 30th against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Since Robertson was united with Max Domi and Bobby McMann on the Leafs’ third line, he has finally found some consistency, registering 8 points in his last 11 games.

Despite his recent uptick in production and new-found role in the forward group, the Leafs are still content with dangling the California native as a trade chip.

Robertson finds himself listed at number 24 on The Fourth Period’s ‘Trade Bait’ board with Dave Pagnotta noting the Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars have shown interest in him.

Both teams are looking for secondary scoring as the Kraken are without Jordan Eberle and the Stars are without Tyler Seguin while the Leafs could look to use the package received in a Robertson deal to pursue a higher impact center that they are reportedly seeking.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching and the Leafs scouring the market for an upgrade at center, Robertson’s time in Toronto may be coming to an end.