Sheldon Keefe reveals that a surprise candidate will challenge for a top-6 roster spot in Toronto
With media sessions and medicals today followed by on-ice sessions officially beginning tomorrow, Maple Leafs training camp has begun. A number of players had met with the media on Wednesday morning, with Leafs GM Brad Treliving also fielding some questions, as did head coach Sheldon Keefe, fresh off of his recent extension.
As you can imagine, the questions directed towards Keefe were of a wide variety, but perhaps the most interesting tidbit that he had dropped on Wednesday was that the top six may not shape up like we all think it will. Keefe says there's a chance that one roster spot in the top six will end up being filled by a surprising candidate.
Keefe told the media that he fully expects Nicholas Robertson to challenge for a spot in the top six this season.
Obviously, Robertson would have to have a tremendous camp to land a spot in the top six coming out of camp, largely due to the fact that he missed most of last season with a brutal shoulder injury after taking an awkward hit from LA Kings defenseman Matt Roy early on in the 2022-23 season.
Robertson was a training camp and pre-season standout last year, but even after shooting the lights out during the pre-season, the California native was assigned to the Marlies for salary cap reasons - something that could yet occur this year as well, unless Robertson gives the Leafs' brass no choice but to pencil him in on the opening night roster.
With how well his brother, Jason Robertson (DAL), has played in recent years, there is a lot of hope in Toronto that Nick, too, can find his game and become a star. First, though, he'll have to show that he can remain healthy. If he does that, the next hurdle will be finding a way to be consistently productive.
Robertson, 22, has dealt with a tremendous amount of time spent on the IR/LTIR in his young career, which has no doubt hampered his development. The skills are undeniable, but if the durability isn't there, none of that matters.
Keefe and Treliving both expressed their excitement to see how a healthy Nick Robertson can perform in camp and in the preseason. If he can replicate his performance from last year's pre-season, perhaps we'll see the Leafs' 2nd round pick from the 2019 draft finally break through and prove that he has what it takes to be an impact player at the NHL level and win a top-six roster spot out of camp.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 20 | 16 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe reveals that a surprise candidate will challenge for a top-6 roster spot in Toronto Will Nick Robertson earn a top-six role with the Leafs out of training camp? | ||
| Yes | 2 | 12.5 % |
| No | 8 | 50 % |
| None of it matters if he can't stay healthy | 6 | 37.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
