Somewhat of a secondary storyline during the Leafs 5-0 drubbing of the LA Kings was the injury to Leafs winger Nick Robertson. The 21-year-old has had all sorts of injury trouble since leaving the OHL. Multiple significant injuries have sidelined Robertson for months during key points in his development. Now it appears he will be out long term once again.
During the first period, Robertson was battling for position with Kings defenseman Matt Roy. Unfortunately, Robertson ended up on the losing end of the confrontation and was thrown hard into the boards. He didn't get up until the Leafs training staff arrived to help. I didn't like the play, personally. In fact, I thought Roy deserved to pay a price for the hit. It was a dangerous play in a dangerous area.
As you can see, Roy's thigh makes contact with the back of Robertson's. This, along with the pull back on Robertson's chest, lifted him off of his feet on the way into the boards. It's a dirty hit, in my opinion. No question in my mind.
After the game, Sheldon Keefe offered an update on Robertson's condition. From the sounds of it, we won't see the California native on the ice for quite some time.
More bad luck for a young player whose early pro career has been mired by bad luck. Hopefully he can get himself back to 100% before too long and come back firing on all cylinders.