Nick Robertson comments on his season-ending shoulder injury and his mindset coming into the 2023-24 season
For Leafs winger Nick Robertson, the frustration must be eating him up on the inside after a string of unfortunate injuries has derailed his young career and has prevented him from reaching much of his untapped potential. The most recent injury, a nasty shoulder injury that he suffered early last season following a hit from LA Kings defenseman Matt Roy, cost him several months of last season and ended his year before it even started.
Robertson played in just 15 games last season, tallying 2 goals and 3 assists for a total of 5 points. He was one of the Leafs' better players during last preseason, but unfortunately for the 21-year-old, his season-ending shoulder injury prevented him from being able to establish himself as a legitimate threat for the Leafs in the middle six.
Robertson had a chance to sit down with TSN's Mark Masters this week and revealed where his mind is as we approach training camp next month. More than anything else, he wanted to convey the message that he's coming in healthy and ready to go.
Robertson told Masters that his focus is on having a strong training camp and making the Leafs' main roster and to "be a contributing player". There are certainly spots up for grabs in camp, especially on the left wing. Yes, new GM Brad Treliving brought in Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, who both have the ability to play on the left wing, but Domi can also play center as well, which could open up a spot there for Robertson. With a strong camp, we very well could be looking at a LW corps that consists of Bertuzzi, Domi, Knies and Robertson, but if Domi ends up centering that 3rd line, we could see Robertson battling with Knies for that 2LW spot.
When asked what might help him find more success this season, Robertson pointed toward remaining healthy as the key factor there. The skill and work ethic is there - now it's just about making sure to prepare the right way and try to play all 82 games.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old winger has confirmed that his plan is to arrive in Toronto around the 10th of September, just before his birthday, to begin taking part in some preliminary skates with his teammates before training camp gets under way.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 11 | 459 ANSWERS Nick Robertson comments on his season-ending shoulder injury and his mindset coming into the 2023-24 season How many games will Nick Robertson play for the Leafs in 2023-24? | ||
| All 82 games | 24 | 5.2 % |
| 60-81 games | 125 | 27.2 % |
| 40-59 games | 109 | 23.7 % |
| Less than 40 games | 201 | 43.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
