Maple Leafs Have New Whipping Boy Now that Timothy Liljegren is Gone
Photo credit: � Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have a new whipping boy emerging following the Timothy Liljegren trade.
From Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel to Jake Gardiner, then to Justin Holl and, eventually, Timothy Liljegren, the Leafs have always had at least one player taking the brunt of the criticism in Toronto.
There is at least one player every season that turns into the whipping boy in Toronto for the fans and media to scrutinize, which often leads to the player leaving at their first opportunity or crumbling under the pressure.
Until his trade to San Jose, it had been Liljegren, and prior to him, it was Justin Holl who bolted for the Detroit Red Wings. Now that Liljegren is gone, Nicholas Robertson has begun to feel the heat.
While he has been in the news since he made the surprising trade request in late June, having just 1 goal in 19 games to begin the season has made many fans wish the Leafs had traded the 23-year-old in the off-season.
Many in Toronto, media and fans alike, have finally realized that the former second-round pick may not be the steal he was once pegged to be as he continues to squander opportunities the same way Liljegren did before he was traded.
On TSN's 'First Up' on Thursday, former Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo discussed Robertson's struggles and pointed out the unfortunate truth about Robertson, noting that he has simply blended in with the AHL forwards that the Leafs have been forced to play due to a rash of injuries.
"Nick Roberson is turning into Timothy Liljegren 2.0, where you're given every opportunity to try to produce at this level and you just never take advantage of it. You're getting your opportunities and this is a time when a team like the Maple Leafs need a guy like Robertson, who has the amount of games and experience under his belt to step up.
If anything, he's sort of meshing right in with the American league guys that have been called up and that's not necessarily a good thing on him. You can only play him in these opportunities so much more."
If anything, he's sort of meshing right in with the American league guys that have been called up and that's not necessarily a good thing on him. You can only play him in these opportunities so much more."
While Colaiacovo was critical of Robertson squandering his opportunities time and time again, he credited him for his work ethic, even if it is something he thinks he needs to modify.
"He's got an engine that moves. There is one thing about working hard and working smart and I think that's the thing he is trying to figure out because a lot of the hard work he is putting in is wasted energy. The smart way he should work is understand positioning, where he needs to be, when a hit needs to be made (instead of making a puck play), and I think, because he's struggling offensively so much, he's telling himself to do too many things and doing too many things exposes you as being a bad hockey player."
Robertson agreed to a one-year deal just prior to training camp, and with the Leafs missing more than half of their regular forwards, he has been given every opportunity to succeed under Craig Berube.
Robertson has unfortunately failed to seize these opportunities after a very impressive pre-season and could find himself on the outside looking in as the Leafs begin to get healthy up front.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 29 | 2473 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Have New Whipping Boy Now that Timothy Liljegren is Gone Should the Leafs have traded Robertson in the off-season? | ||
| Absolutely, his value has sunk | 1316 | 53.2 % |
| No, he was expected to produce more | 659 | 26.6 % |
| Hindsight is 20/20 | 498 | 20.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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