Leafs preparing to trade former 2nd round pick?
A second round pick in the 2019 draft, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson has dealt with a slew of injuries since turning pro, with his most recent shoulder ailment causing him to miss most of last season. Heading into training camp this year, he was all but guaranteed a roster spot until Fraser Minten stepped in and stole a spot from his grasp. As a result, Robertson was forced to begin his season with the Marlies.
Thanks to a handful of injuries and the Leafs having cap space to use, Robertson was called up at the end of October and has been a constant on the third line since. In 20 games so far this season, he has 3 goals and 9 points. Those 9 points have come in very limited ice time, however, as Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has found it difficult to trust Robertson in close games and late in games. Robertson is seeing just 10:31 of ice per game on average and a mere 23 seconds of powerplay time. Yes, the Leafs' top unit often spends most of the powerplay on the ice, but for someone that was supposed to be the trigger man on the second unit, 23 seconds per game is nowhere near enough to make an impact.
While Robertson competes hard and tries to do the little things right, earning Keefe's trust appears to have not been easy. Either that, or Keefe is doing his best to limit Robertson's action in close to keep him healthy enough to allow GM Brad Treliving to use him as a trade chip. Hiding his defensive inefficiencies portrays him as a one-trick pony, but also lets other teams see his offensive capabilities.
With the Leafs looking for help on the blueline and reportedly now in goal, the Leafs may be looking to deal Robertson to address those needs. With the NHL roster freeze ending tomorrow, fans will be curious to see if GM Brad Treliving can manage to put something together over the coming weeks and whether that will include Robertson or not.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26 | 867 ANSWERS Leafs preparing to trade former 2nd round pick? Will the Leafs trade Nick Robertson before the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 683 | 78.8 % |
| No | 184 | 21.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
