Despite a career year, Nick Robertson still faces questions in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs are slowly trending in the right direction for next season with new front office members, as well as the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. While success is not guaranteed for next year, building the roster is crucial if they want to try to punch their ticket to the playoffs again.

One player who will play an important role next season is Nick Robertson, as he still has to prove his worth, but is slowly turning heads, given his performance this season. Here's what he was able to do on the ice.

Nick Robertson's stats

In 78 games played this season, Robertson recorded 32 points -- a new career high for him, where he ranked in the top 10 in that category for the Leafs. He managed to get 16 goals and assists, both career-high's.

Robertson was able to record four points on the powerplay this year (two goals, two assists), proving he can maneuver and contribute on the special teams unit. While those aren't big numbers, he also set a new career-high in that category.

The 24-year-old would also have a good stretch of games from late November to early October, recording 10 points (five goals and assists) in 11 games played from Oct. 25 to Nov. 15 and from Dec. 27 to Jan. 10, where he tallied eight points (four goals and assists) in eight games played.

With injuries plaguing the Leafs' forwards this season, Robertson was able to get a chunk of ice time on the second line to finish the season, playing alongside Matthew Knies and Max Domi.

Did Nick Robertson live up to expectations?

The expectations for Robertson were to find his role on the Leafs' roster, as well as to get into a high level of play and flourish as a top forward, which he was expected to be at this point in his career. He had been praised for his skill back in his draft year and was expected to be vital to the team very early in his career.

Although this season was his best stats-wise, he's still due for an even higher total. In his final year in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes, he totalled 86 points (55 goals, 31 assists) in 46 games, and the Leafs are still looking for something similar from him.

While Robertson was not expected to be the guy to score 60 goals this year, he showed progress this season and stepped up when needed at times, hence the career-high numbers. However, there is still much more Robertson can do on the stat sheet.

Aside from the numbers, Robertson plays with heart. He plays hard, he forechecks, backchecks and plants himself in front of the net for an easy tap-in off a rebound or deflection for an easy goal. That's just as important as any number of points.

What do we expect from Nick Robertson next season?

What could be expected of Robertson is to get some serious ice time for the Leafs both next year and in the future, as he still has to prove his worth. However, it would be with less urgency since he's shown improvement this year.

With the Leafs needing to set their roster for next year, Robertson will play a huge part on the team, especially given the chatter surrounding Auston Matthews and his future with the Leafs. If Robertson can step up and stay producing in the top six, there's no doubt both sides will be happy.

Robertson will be expected to take on a big role for the Leafs, as he could very well be deployed more often on a special teams unit and receive more ice time in general. While it would be great to see Robertson stay with the Leafs long-term, he still has to show why he should remain in the lineup consistently.

For the time being, Robertson deserves praise for his career-high season. It's a simple step of progression and, in the eyes of Leafs Nation, hope for the upcoming season where everyone will see if Robertson can further improve and soar past those numbers to finally become the player they want him to be.

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