Robertson rescinding his trade request and signing on the dotted line is a case of cooler heads prevailing. Agreeing to terms will benefit both the player and the team now.
Coming off a 14-goal, 27-point season in just 54 games while playing 11:23 per night, Robertson had some reason to believe he could — and probably should — play a larger role, but the reality is that he held no leverage.
Robertson could have signed an offer sheet with a team all summer to force a move, or his agent could have worked with the Leafs to facilitate a trade (with everyone in the league knowing he wanted out), but nobody stepped up to offer something worth pursuing.