Nick Robertson is Forcing Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs to Rethink Their Entire Gameplan
The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed Nick Robertson this offseason after a long holdout, but his performance so far should lead them to give him a bigger role this year.
The majority of the summer was dominated by whether or not the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson would agree when it comes to a contract extension, and it took up until the beginning of September for the two to agree on a contract. Robertson's been motivated ever since, showcasing his ability in his preseason so far, scoring five goals and being the catalyst for the Maple Leafs offense; even if it sometimes costs the Leafs at times.
So with Robertson being heavily motivated, and his emerging breakout where he is capable of scoring 25+ goals is just around the corner: Should GM Brad Treliving re-think the role that Robertson currently fits with the team?
The trouble with Robertson is that he's not been given enough time, and under former head coach Sheldon Keefe, he often felt lost in the shuffle and only managed a handful of minutes throughout the season. In that time though he managed 14 goals and 13 assists, being a spark on the bottom half of a Maple Leafs lineup that desperately needed it. He would bounce between the second and third lines when playing, but never got a chance to build any chemistry with a lengthy amount of time on the ice.
Enter Craig Berube. The new Maple Leafs bench boss has had nothing but admiration for Robertson, entrusting him to lead the team at times and being impressed with not only his goal-scoring ability but his entire 200-foot game and his dedication to improving all facets of his game:
"His shooting, skill, skating - that'll take over. But, it's compete and winning the battles and things like that, that he's done."
It feels like Robertson has new life under Berube, and the confidence he's gaining as each game passes has to not only feel good for Robertson but translate to results on the ice. Berube thrives on players who are complete, not sacrificing defense for statistical padding; something Robertson acknowledges he must maintain that confidence and keep playing how he's played:
He's certainly earned his spot in the opening night lineup, and with that earned the respect of his GM Brad Treliving. The Maple Leafs GM spoke on TSN's OverDrive program and was highly positive about how Robertson has conducted himself this summer:
We want to give him his deserved opportunity. It goes both ways, he has to pull his end of the bargain as well. Very proud of him and, like to me, he's muscled his way right into a position here. So we'll get through tomorrow and see where everything ends up for Wednesday."
Robertson's preseason scoring has been a pleasant surprise for the Maple Leafs, who are looking to have breakout years from Robertson as well as hoping newcomer Max Pacioretty regains his old form. If Robertson can form chemistry with Pacioretty and John Tavares on the third line, he could be in a position to be on arguably the deadliest checking line in the league. Having Pacioretty and Tavares; two veterans with tons of leadership experience will allow Robertson to learn from some of the best, and pick up traits that will make him an even more complete player down the line.
The Maple Leafs re-signed Nick Robertson this summer hoping he would be able to prove to them he deserves to be here. He's gone above and beyond that and secured himself a spot in the lineup come opening night; something not lost on Robertson, who is as excited as his family is for the 23-year old:
"It's something that I was thinking about coming into camp and I'm glad it could start like that."
| POLL | ||
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs' GM Brad Treliving re-sign Nick Robertson to a long contract extension? | ||
| Yes he deserves it! | 102 | 53.7 % |
| No, he still needs to earn it! | 88 | 46.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
