Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Suffers Another Set Back

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, Nick Robertson suffered a leg injury that will keep him out for a minimum of 10 weeks.

The 2021-22 season was supposed to be a huge development year for Nick Robertson, who’s arguably the Toronto Maple Leafs best and brightest prospect. After scoring 55 goals in 46 games during his last year of junior hockey, there was a ton of excitement behind the 20-year-old.

After watching rookie camp and practice prior to the pre-season games, Robertson was clearly a step-ahead of every other prospect. His skillset is incredible in the offensive zone and his ability to score is elite.

However, as training camp progressed and pre-season games began, Robertson looked a little behind. That offensive flare didn’t shine playing against everyday NHLers, which resulted in him starting the year with the Toronto Marlies.

It wasn’t a big deal that he was going to start the year with the Marlies. The Leafs signed Nick Ritchie and Michael Bunting to play in the top-six role anyway and it didn’t make much sense to push Robertson to the fourth-line as a rookie.

If he was going to develop into an everyday NHLer, he needed time in the American Hockey League to dominate and gain confidence before getting called up.

In two games, Robertson had two assists and looked very good beside linemate Josh Ho-Sang, but then the unfortunate happened.

Robertson Injury Is Bad News for Toronto Maple Leafs

As Robertson was heading into the corner to engage with the puck, he collided with two defenders and landed very awkwardly on his leg.

The injury didn’t look good when it happened and it became even worse when the diagnosis came back:

Since March 2020, Robertson has only been able to play in 33 professional games and has unfortunately caught the injury bug before. At the beginning of the 2020-21 season, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for four weeks, when it looked like it could have been much worse.

I’m not putting the blame of these injuries purely on his size, but when you’re 5-foot-9, 165 pounds going up against 6-foot-3, 220 pound defensemen every night, you put yourself in a vulnerable position when you go into the corners.

Robertson is a very skilled player and undersized players can flourish in the modern-day NHL, but when he returns to full-health, he should try his best to be more aware on the ice. This leg injury was a little freakish, but if he was bigger and stronger, it probably wouldn’t have happened.

Let’s hope that Robertson can rehab and get back to full strength soon so that his entire 2021-22 season isn’t a bust. He’s a very valuable prospect for the Toronto Maple Leafs and still has a very bright future ahead of him.