With Knies choosing another year of college, the Leafs have another option available in house
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was serious enough about the potential of Matthew Knies turning pro this year that he saved himself some room to sign the 19-year-old power forward to an ELC and would have been completely fine with burning a year of that deal to squeeze Knies into a few games to end the season and potentially use him in the playoffs. Now, with Knies opting to return to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season, do the Leafs have a back up plan?
Well, I'm sure that the Leafs have prepared a contingency plan in the event that Knies decided to head back to the NCAA for the 2022-23 season. That plan could potentially include bringing Nick Robertson back up for some games to close out the season and, if he shows well, potentially join the Buds for the playoffs as well.
As far as where Robertson might slot in if he does indeed come up, he could be a solid option alongside John Tavares and Ilya Mikheyev on the second line, but that would effectively push Alex Kerfoot down to the 4th line and take Jason Spezza out of the lineup. The 20-year-old could simply just take over that 4th line RW spot and run with it though, leaving the rest of the lineup intact.
The only issue there is that the Leafs would likely have to assign Nick Abruzzese to the AHL's Toronto Marlies for their upcoming playoff run to create room for Robertson on the roster. As decent as Abruzzese has played to this point, some time to cook in the minors may be a good thing. For Robertson, who has recorded 22 points in 22 games with the Marlies this season, some more time in the NHL could be of great benefit.
As far as who he'd fit in best with, obviously, we know that Robertson is best suited to play with other skilled players, however he does have an insane work ethic that could fit well on a Leafs fourth line that often dresses Kyle Clifford, Wayne Simmonds or Jason Spezza, none of whom are exactly fleet-of-foot. Robertson and Blackwell, on the other hand, could mesh very well together, as they play a very similar style. Blackwell could be an excellent player for Robertson to learn from, as they are similar in stature, both standing just 5'9.
In terms of who they might fit best with, I'd have to think that the Leafs would want some size and strength next to them, so perhaps Kyle Clifford makes the most sense. However, using a guy like Wayne Simmonds in that spot could be a better option, given his past history with scoring goals. Simmonds is obviously not what he once was, but he does know how to shoot the puck and he does know how to create chaos in front of the net. For softer matchups, Sheldon Keefe can slot Jason Spezza in on that line to mentor Robertson and provide him with a little more skill to play with.
Another option would be to send Abruzzese down and just call Robertson up to be a guy who practices with the team and rotates in and out of the lineup as needed until Ondrej Kase is ready to return. At this point, the only reason you're keeping Robertson down at the AHL level is because you believe the Marlies can win a Calder Cup. If the Marlies have no shot at the Calder Cup, then Robertson will benefit more from the current mindset and intensity that the Leafs have at this time of the year than he will from coming up short with the Marlies. Just my two cents.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 16 | 297 ANSWERS With Knies choosing another year of college, the Leafs have another option available in house Should the Leafs call up Nick Robertson for the final stretch of the regular season to prep him for playoff hockey? | ||
| Yes | 169 | 56.9 % |
| No | 92 | 31 % |
| Too small, too injury prone | 36 | 12.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
