During last year’s offseason, Nick Robertson was talked about as a top-six left-winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his name seems to be forgotten.
Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 53rd overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Robertson was looked upon as one of the biggest steals of that draft class, especially because Robertson’s brother (Jason), gave fans hope that Nick would transition into a similar player that he was.
Scoring 46 goals and registering 109 points is big shoes to fill, but even if Nick is able to replicate half of those stats, I think Leafs fans would be thrilled.
A 23-goal and 55 point season would be incredible, but for whatever reason, Nick’s name isn’t getting any attention this offseason. Four years removed from being drafted, Robertson will only be 22-years-old when the 2023-24 season starts.
Despite his age being a positive, he’s yet to show that he can stay healthy during a professional season. Health was never an issue during junior hockey for Robertson, but now that he’s playing against men every night, multiple injuries have made him miss significant time.
Toronto Maple Leafs Should Still Have Hope in Robertson
At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Robertson’s size has been a big issue at the professional level. When he can find space, he’s shown that he can put up points (mostly in the AHL), but he’s continued to put himself in vulnerable positions, which is the reason for his multiple injuries.
Although he’s small, it doesn’t mean that he can’t be effective, or that he’ll continue to get injured. However, his last injury was a big example of Man vs. Boy and he essentially just got man-handled in the corner, resulting in a six-month injury.
I have all of the confidence in the world in Robertson’s skillsets, but health is still my major concern. However, Toronto needs to continue to play him and see what can happen because if he stays healthy, he can put up points.
If Robertson is going to be in the line-up, he needs to play in the top-six. He can’t be put on the third or fourth line and be used in a role that is physically grueling. He can’t be a winger who’s forechecking hard, but instead needs to be your pretty-boy winger.
I know we hate on Nylander all of the time for this, but Robertson needs to play like Nylander to be effective. You don’t need all 12 forwards banging bodies throughout the regular season and need each player to play their role and it’s clear that Robertson’s role is best suited as an offensive darling and nothing else.
By playing that way each night, it should help eliminate injury, although fans may get mad at him.
All of the talk is about Matthew Knies, which is fine because he’s sick, but Robertson could be a sneaky player flying under the radar right now. He was tremendous during training camp last year and if he’s fully healthy by then, I’d expect the same results.
Don’t lose faith in Robertson quite yet, but if he suffers one more significant injury, he’ll probably never play another game in Toronto.