Pair of Leafs take to the ice for the morning skate, once again in extras grey; the frustration is real
The Leafs have taken to the ice for their routine game-day morning skate, but for two players, the frustration has to be growing. Once again, Wayne Simmonds and 21-year-old Nick Robertson are donning grey sweaters, typically reserved for healthy scratches.
Simmonds has made it into just four games for the Leafs this season and, despite having cleared waivers, has not played a single game for the AHL's Toronto Marlies. The Leafs have reportedly been trying to move Simmonds since the beginning of the season.
Meanwhile, for Nick Robertson, this will be his fourth straight healthy scratch, despite having produced 5 points in 10 games this season while being moved up and down the lineup and not being able to build any chemistry with a consistent set of linemates. Robertson's 4 consecutive scratches come off of the heels of 3 straight games without registering a point on November 8th, 11th and 12th against Vegas, Pittsburgh and Vancouver. Robertson has exceeded 12 minutes of ice time in just 4 of his 10 games this season.
This past week, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe applauded Robertson's effort at practice, but admitted that he's really liked what he's seen from his current lineup and that as hard as Robertson has worked, he likely won't get another shot unless someone within the current active lineup sees their performance drop to the point where a healthy scratch is warranted. For Robertson, this whole situation has to be frustrating. It wouldn't be shocking to see him request a trade at some point.
At 21 years-of-age and having played just 26 career NHL games, there is certainly some concern that the Pasadena, CA native is not long for the NHL. His 5'9, 180-pound frame is on the smaller side and he does have a pretty lengthy injury history for such a young player. If the Leafs do have the option to move him in a package for a more battle-tested top-6 winger, perhaps it's worth exploring rather than continuing to sit him in the press box and preventing him from playing.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 21 | 339 ANSWERS Pair of Leafs take to the ice for the morning skate, once again in extras grey; the frustration is real Should the Leafs explore moving Robertson as a part of a package to upgrade on the win in the top 6? | ||
| Yes | 180 | 53.1 % |
| No | 60 | 17.7 % |
| Depends who they can get | 99 | 29.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
