Robertson a healthy scratch, Dermott being showcased on Saturday against Preds
With Auston Matthews returning to the lineup on Saturday after serving his 2-game suspension, Nick Robertson was the odd man out at the morning skate today. As the Leafs took to the ice for the optional skate in Nashville, Robertson was not among the 4 lines running through drills. He also stayed out after the majority of the team left to do some extra work along with Simmonds, who also appears to be a healthy scratch.
Travis Dermott will draw back into the lineup for his first game since March 10th, in what appears to be a «showcase» game. He will replace rookie Timothy Liljegren on the third pair.
Rumours are swirling that the Leafs are looking to move Dermott in anticipation of acquiring another defenseman to bolster their defense corps and this will be a final attempt to increase his value ahead of the deadline.
Should the Leafs move Dermott, it will also clear $1.5million in cap space for next season, which will likely be used in part to resign RFAs such as Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Ondrej Kase, and UFA's like Jack Campbell.
Robertson, on the other hand, is unlikely to move at the deadline after GM Kyle Dubas stated that he is not interested in moving out top prospects and first round picks in exchange for a rental. Of course, the possibility remains that the Leafs could package Robertson in a deal for an impact player who has some term remaining. Jakob Chychrun certainly comes to mind.
With the deadline coming up in a little over 48 hours, things are about to get very interesting around the National Hockey League.
| POLL | ||
MARS 19 | 254 ANSWERS Robertson a healthy scratch, Dermott being showcased on Saturday against Preds Will Nick Robertson be used as a trade chip at the deadline? | ||
| I hope not | 57 | 22.4 % |
| Only if he brings back a player with term | 106 | 41.7 % |
| Not a chance | 36 | 14.2 % |
| Yes, you need to give something to get something | 55 | 21.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
