Toronto Maple Leafs: It Is Far Too Early to Call Nick Robertson a Bust

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson will unfortunately have zero impact on the 2022-23 season, as he underwent shoulder surgery, ultimately keeping him out six months.

Prior to the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs brass and fans across the globe had high hopes for 21-year-old, Nick Robertson.

The 53rd overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft was looked at by many as a steal, thanks to his incredible junior season, the year after being drafted.  He was the youngest player in his draft, and would have been a much higher pick the following season if he was two days older.

With 55 goals in 46 games, Robertson was arguably junior hockey’s best player for the 2019-20 season. Over the past few years, Toronto has hit the jackpot in terms of drafting and developing and it looked like they found another diamond in the rough with Robertson.

Since March, 2020, Robertson has only played in 86 professional games, which means he’s missed almost two-thirds of the games he could have played over the last three years.

Toronto Maple Leafs: It’s Far Too Early to Think Nick Robertson Is a Bust

On January 21, 2021, Robertson suffered a knee injury which kept him out a month and then on October 17, 2021 he fractured his leg keeping him out three months. Now with this shoulder surgery, Robertson’s basically missed a full-year of development just due to injury.

At 21-years-old, the last thing you want is to be listed as “injury prone,” especially when you have a real opportunity to make an impact with the Leafs.

In 15 games this year, Robetson played well as a rookie without any defined role.  He won a job in training camp, and put up a 54% Expected Goals Rating when paired with Tavares in a scoring role.

However, he was also limited in ice-time and didn’t play top-six minutes his entire time.

When he was in the top-six, I thought he looked really good. His skill is NHL-ready, as shown by his incredible two-goal performance against the Dallas Stars earlier this year, but his size is still the big issue.

When you’re 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, you need to be the most aware player on the ice. You need to be shifty and make sure you’re not in a vulnerable position. If you’re going to go for a puck in the corner, be aware that a 6-foot-5, 250 pound defenseman could put you through the boards, instead of thinking you can out-man him.

And as we all remember, Robertson’s injury happened just because of that scenario I mentioned.

I know there was slight interference on the play that caused him to get shoulder surgery, but those types of plays happen every game. Robertson needs to be stronger on the puck if he’s going to be able to play legitimate minutes in this league.

So, the big question we need to ask right now is this: “Is Robertson a bust?” Despite being injury prone, that’s a ridiculous thing to say about a 21 year old who was the youngest player in his draft. Many players drafted in his position still wouldn’t have played a single NHL game yet.

It’s been almost four years since he’s been drafted and he’s only scored three goals and registered seven points 31 career NHL games (stats: hockeydb.com). His sample size is still small, but I’m starting to get worried because of his size and injuries.

I have no issue about his skill, but I have a hard time believing that he can be a top-six forward who plays the hard minutes without turning into the second coming of Joffrey Lupul.

Robertson is still under his entry level contract until the end of next season, so there’s no rush to trade him. However, the 2023-24 season may be his last shot in the Toronto Maple Leafs system.

If he gets injured again or shows he can’t perform in the NHL, he could be on a path towards the KHL or becoming a life-time AHLer.