After once being the Toronto Maple Leafs most hyped prospect, former OHL first-team All-Star Nick Robertson may have finally arrived.
Once a second-round pick back in 2019, Nick Robertson tore up the OHL before coming to the big league, where he had an unfortunate run of injuries, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic restricting his playing capabilities, Robertson's path to stardom was a little slower than most Toronto Maple Leafs fans would have hoped.
But now may be the perfect time for Robertson to finally break out as a force to be reckon with in the NHL.
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have another star on their hands, and the sky's the limit for Nick Robertson.
The Sky's the Limit for Toronto Maple Leafs Forward Nick Robertson
As mentioned before, Nick Robertson has shown flashes of brilliance early in his career. From scoring 55 goals in 46 games in his final junior year, to scoring 5 points in 5 games with Team USA at the World Juniors, or scoring an iconic playoff goal as an 18-year-old, every sign pointed to Robertson being a star in the NHL.
However, his path was not easy. Injuries prevented the former Peterborough Pete from playing more than 40 games in a single season since before the pandemic (until last year), and being misused by former coach, Sheldon Keefe, many were writing Robertson off before he had even played a full NHL season.
But after being one of the Leafs most consistent scorers last year, potting 14 tallies in 56 games, and a lengthy contract discussion over this past summer, Robertson may be ready to take the next step.
Still just 23, Robertson has been one of the Leafs best players in the pre-season so far, scoring the team's last three goals spanning over two games.
Add in new coach Craig Berube, who we can all bet will give Robertson a spot on the top two forward lines (at least to start the year), it's safe to say "Nicky Bobby" will have his best season yet.
A conversation earlier this week I had with one of my buddies (shoutout Nolan) made me realize that the Leafs have had many players over the years who fans thought would break out and become studs, but never panned out in the way they had hoped. From Kasperi Kapanen, to Ilya Mikheyev, to Adam Brooks, to Josh Leivo, the list goes on.
Robertson could have very well been added to this list, but after his great pre-season so far, and a full season of playing with Mitch Marner or Max Domi, this is likely the year for Nick Robertson to finally break out.
Is a 30-goal season out of the question?