Nick Robertson's strong play for the Toronto Maple Leafs outweighs the negatives

Nick Robertson’s spot on the Toronto Maple Leafs seems to have always been in doubt - a series of injuries and then trouble cementing himself as a permenant spot in Sheldon Keefe's lineup left a lot questions as the summer began and Robertson's contract expired.

Then came a seemingly ridiculous trade request and an entire summer of questions, but things started to look up with he re-signed just before camp. Robertson now looked to be a shoe-in for a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs, although questions remained about his long-term viability with the team.

Those questions seemed to take prescedence with the addition of Max Pacioretty, and the emergence of Matthew Knies as the Leafs top-line left winger.

So, where did that leave Robertson?

Nick Robertson's strong play for the Toronto Maple Leafs outweighs the negatives

Robertson played well in his first preseason game, scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens. So far so good. But then something happened that could have jeopardized his role on the team. The "push" on Nylader was an ill-advised move that could have resulted in a major injury for the star forward.

Fortunately, Nylander wasn't seriously hurt and according to reports, there are no hard feelings between Nylander and Robertson.

Now, Leafs coach Craig Berube has gone out of his way to find Robertson a spot in the lineup. With the left wing position jammed with high-quality players (including Max Pacioretty), Robertson seemed fresh out of luck.

So, Berube had a novel idea: Move Robertson over to the right side. That idea seems to be gaining traction. Robertson has looked energised and has produced thus far. but the Nylader incident could have been a sign that Robertson wasn't ready for a full-time, top-six NHL role.

But Berube stuck with Nylander and then this happened.

Nick Robertson rewarded Berube's faith with a heck of a performance

I'll be honest, I genuinely thought Robertson would get into Berube's dog house for the push on Nylander. Berube is an old-school coach preaching toughness and responsibility. But then again, it's not exactly that uncommon of a play, as seen here:

Robertson was in the lineup on Saturday night against the Canadiens. While another coach might have benched Robertson, Berube recognized the result of the play was a fluke, and Robertson had himself a game.

Robertson scored both Leafs goals on the night, giving Toronto a 2-1 win over their Original Six rivals. Kudos to Berube for seeing thru the haze and recognising that Robertson might just be the player that we've always envisioned he could be.

Robertson scored a lot last year in limimted, albeit quite sheltered, minutes. He showed that can play an offensive role on an NHL team. I'm not ready to declare he can be anything more than that, but he has looked solid enough to where he should get a shot at starting on the wing with one of the Leafs top centres.

I must admit, Robertson changed my mind on Saturday night. If Robertson can keep this pace up, he could easily sail past 20 goals. Heck, why not score 30 goals?