Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson and Jason Robertson faced each other on Wednesday night, but will Nick ever live up to his brother's shadow?
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has struggled this year, but his brother, Jason Robertson, has turned into one of the best wingers in the NHL leading to a $7.75M AAV contract, which looks like an underpayment right now. Once that contracts expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, he'll most likely be looking at something between $10-14M AAV.
At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Jason and Nick may share the same last name and have similar skillsets, but they have a completely different body-type, which has hurt Nick. Nick, the youngest brother, is 5-foot-9, 178 pounds, which has definitely hurt his development at the NHL level.
His AHL career hasn't skipped a beat, as he's been able to dominate that league as an undersized winger, but injuries due to his size, has really stunted his growth at the NHL level. In all fairness though, he did have a solid first full NHL season last year, scoring 14 goals.
Jason scored 17 goals in his first true NHL season, he was on a similar track to his brother, but he's been struggling during his "sophomore" season, unlike Jason. During his second season, Jason erupted for 41 goals and 79 points, then followed that up with 46 goals and 109 points. Those are huge numbers that Leafs fans would dream of from Nick, but I'm not sure if that ever happens.
Can Nick Robertson Ever Become as Good as His Brother Jason?
With just four goals this year, Nick has been an outcast. In fact, he's been an outcast his entire NHL career and needs a restart more than anyone else on the team. A fresh start could do a ton of good for Nick because he's a very talented forward. He brings a ton of skill, that unfortunately the Leafs don't desperately need right now.
Sure, an undersized skilled winger could help the Leafs top-six generate more offense, but they would be better suited with a bigger-body puck retriever, or someone who can be a pest in front of the net. In a perfect world, someone like Zach Hyman's skillset would be the perfect fit, instead of someone like Nick's services.
However, that doesn't mean that he's not needed or can't make an impact, like his brother Jason. There are plenty of teams out there, lacking scoring depth that would really love Nick's services and I hope he gets his due.
If the Leafs decide to move on from Mitch Marner and/or John Tavares, then there could be a great opportunity for Nick to jump into the Leafs top-six, but I don't know if this team has the luxury to wait that long. Nick is still a tradeable asset who can help fetch a proven forward, so it probably makes sense that they move him before they give him a shot.
So will Nick ever become the same forward as Jason? Probably not, I wouldn't give up on him quite yet.