Can't say this trend in sports of athletes demanding trades is something I can get behind. What happened with just toughing it out with your team, through thick and thin, and letting one's play dictate the opportunities they get, allowing their contributions to determine how the team manages them. True, a bad coach and management can underutilize players, but it just seems to be a bit of an entitled mentality for players to request or even demand trades.
This is something that transcends just the sporting world and likely revolves around two broad things:
1. In a lot of jobs, it's currently much easier to move forward in your career my switching companies. For Robertson, he probably thinks he hasn't been treated fair yet and would get a better opportunity elsewhere to prove he is a quality NHL calibre player.
2. More people realizing that employers care less about their employees than in the past (typically due to more large companies and less small bussineses). Can you really blame somebody for not feeling like their employers well being is more important than their own when they feel like they are undervalued/misused?
I don't blame Robertson for demanding a trade request given his sporadic usage the last 2 years and quality underlying numbers. Given how RFA contracts work it's up to the Leafs to figure out how to keep him and provide motivation/growth opportunities if they see him as part of their group moving forward.
Edit: To add, this is their job and they typically have less than 20 years to make their money before they see a dramatic decrease in their pay in any post-NHL careers. If you were limited to 20 years and you felt like your company's usage of yourself was limiting your earning potential, would you just "tough it out"?
I know most of us dream of a NHL minimum contract, but you can't blame fringe NHLers for doing whatever puts them in a better situation and gives them a chance for a longer/better contract given everybody else at their company is equally or better paid.
