The Nick Robertson Conundrum
The Leafs have a choice to make with Nick Robertson. The 20-year-old rookie has been given a golden opportunity to lock down a spot in the Leafs top 6, but has he done enough to keep it?
Robertson scored a beautiful goal in his first game on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, but since then, he's gone pointless in 3 straight. Robertson was held without a shot in the Leafs 5-4 OT loss to Arizona. Alex Kerfoot was moved back into his spot and kickstarted the Leafs' 3rd period comeback. The line of Kerfoot, Tavares and Nylander feasted on the Coyotes defence, with huge amounts of zone time and 2 key goals to get the game to overtime.
Putting Robertson back on the 4th line isn't a great option either. Playing such limited minutes could hinder his development - especially with all the time he's missed due to injury. Spezza and Simmonds aren't slouches, but Robertson needs to play with higher skilled players to reach his potential.
The Leafs are left with 3 options. Keep Robertson on the 2nd line and give him more time to grow into the role. Give Alex Kerfoot his spot back and try to shoehorn Robertson into a role that doesn't suit him. Send Robertson to the Marlies and give him first line minutes there.
If the Leafs are willing to be patient with Robertson and give him time to adjust to playing top-6 minutes, it could pay dividends come playoff time. While Robertson didn't record a shot on net Thursday, he was generating chances for himself and had several attempts that unfortunately missed.
Putting Kerfoot on that second line makes them better *right now* but what makes them better at the end of April? Robertson's skill, work ethic and lethal shot give him a higher ceiling than Kerfoot. It's up to the Leafs coaching staff to decide whether he'll have the chance to reach that ceiling. If the does get that chance, then it's all up to the former Peterborough Petes star to show the hockey world what Nick Robertson is capable of.
| POLL | ||
MARS 13 | 199 ANSWERS The Nick Robertson Conundrum Where should Nick Robertson play the rest of the season? | ||
| With Tavares and Nylander | 67 | 33.7 % |
| With Simmonds and Spezza | 25 | 12.6 % |
| With the Toronto Marlies | 47 | 23.6 % |
| Use him as a trade chip at the deadline | 60 | 30.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
