It seemed like around this time last year, if anyone were to ask which Toronto Maple Leafs player was poised for a breakout season, Nick Robertson would be the answer from many.
Well one year later and one of the Toronto Maple Leafs top prospects has only has another 15 games and 5 points to his name.
Robertson has unfortunately had quite poor injury luck, and found himself suffering a season-ending injury.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has loads of potential and is still young, turning 22 in September, but the team needs to start seeing results soon as other young roster players are pushing for their chance to be in the lineup, including McMann, Knies, Holmberg and even Steeves.
Nick Robertson Needs to Make This Year Count for the Toronto Maple Leafs
With the newly added depth and young prospects pushing to become players, Robertson must show the Leafs coaching and management staff why he was a first-round pick.
Robertson has the potential to be a top-six player, or even a star, but ultimately for that to even be anywhere close to a realistic possibility he has to stay healthy.
Nick Robertson’s shot is deadly and if he were to be paired with someone like Domi, he may get a chance to still have success in a bottom-six role. I expect him to be given a shot this year, but like others, he will need to earn it. He will likely be a useful addition to the second powerplay unit as a primary shot option but needs to contribute to more than just the special teams.
Robertson seems to have been forgotten by many, and that’s fair considering how much of his time in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization he has spent injured, but ultimately Robertson still has potential and should be considered for a roster spot.
Especially because the Leafs lost Michael Bunting and his star performance on a 900K contract. The Leafs desperately need either Robertson or Matthew Knies to bring the same value to the team that Bunting was bringing before he left in free-agency.
The biggest issue with Nick Robertson is his health, but he seems to be training hard this offseason as we have seen clips of him with his boxing coach training. Let’s see what Robertson can do if he’s able to stay healthy for the Leafs.