While the NHL was shut down due to a labour dispute in 2004–05, the National Lacrosse League (NLL)'s Calgary Roughnecks selected Roberts in the sixth round of the 2004 NLL Draft, partially as a public relations stunt. He declined the chance to play professional lacrosse. When NHL play resumed in 2005–06, Roberts and Nieuwendyk each signed a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers. The pair, who were teammates in Toronto as well as Calgary, hoped to end their careers together in Florida. It did not happen, as chronic back pain forced Nieuwendyk's retirement in December 2006.