Nick Robertson reveals where he's at with the Leafs in contract talks
Throughout this season, there has been a lot of coverage on Nick Robertson in his first healthy season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with the Stanley Cup Playoffs looming, Robertson is still very much on the bubble.
With 4 points in his last 4 games, including a big goal against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Robertson is now up to 13 goals and 25 points across 52 games as a Leaf this season - all career-highs for the 22-year-old. Still, even though he's on pace to have exceeded 20 goals over the course of a full 82-game season, Robertson hasn't been able to establish himself as an everyday regular with the Leafs.
Earlier this week, Sheldon Keefe's comments on Robertson told the story of a coach who is happy with the development of one of his top young players. While it may be easy to get discouraged coming in and out of the lineup the way Robertson has, Keefe has done his best to ensure the sharpshooting winger that he's doing a lot of things right this year and, revealing that he's been pleased with Robertson's body of work.
He's done a really nice job this year. That's what I've told him, is when he comes in and out of the lineup and all that, at times you can overthink things, but you really zoom out, Nick's had a terrific season here. He's stayed healthy, he's come in, he's contributed, he's learned a lot. He's taken more out of this season than has in probably all the other seasons combined. Sometimes we want to rush guys and we want to overthink things and what have you, but he's had a really good season."
-Keefe on the message he has sent to Robertson this year
Keefe seems to have a real belief in Robertson in that he can come out and score goals and make impact plays regardless of whether or not he's in every game or if he's coming in and out of the lineup. Keefe knows that a big part of developing a young player is to have him earn every inch. Robertson has done that thus far and Keefe has made sure to point out his successes this season.
-Keefe on Robertson's work ethic and scoring prowess
For Robertson, the uncertainty about whether or not he'll be in for Game 1 of the playoffs hasn't really phased him. He told Sportsnet during a recent interview that he's just focused on what he can control, which is working hard to earn a roster spot for the playoffs. Above all else, he's happy with where his game is at right now and he'll leave the decisions up to the coaching staff and just quietly work away and keep a level head.
-Robertson on his mindset with the playoffs looming
Robertson is headed towards his first set of contract negotiations with the Maple Leafs as he is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. He revealed this week that, while he's free to negotiate a new deal at any point, no talks have occurred yet.
-Robertson on his contract status
In terms of his level of involvement with the negotiations, Robertson has yet to sit down with his agent and really discuss how he'd like the process to go and how involved he wants to be.
-Robertson on how involved he plans to be during negotiations
It's been a long road for Robertson to get to this point, but up to now, he's done a lot of the right things to ensure that he's putting himself in the best possible position to succeed. He's played well enough to put himself in the conversation for Game 1 and that's really all he can do at this point. The rest is up to the coaching staff. By the sounds of things, Keefe recognizes Robertson's value and has a good read on where he's at.
The Leafs face a tall task in Round 1, with the Florida Panthers being their most likely 1s round opponent. With that series expected to be a physical one, it wouldn't be a shock to see Robertson begin the series in the press box and come in with fresh legs once the series has begun to take a physical toll on some of his teammates who will be drawing tough assignments if the Panthers enter with home ice advantage in Round 1, which seems likely at this point. If that's the case and if Robertson hasn't played in the series at that point, then when the series shifts back to Toronto for Games 3 and 4, that's likely when we'll see him draw in, depending on the state of the series of course. If the Leafs are up 2-0, they may not want to mess with a good thing unless an injury forces a change.
Source: Sportsnet, Luke FoxHow Nick Robertson found peace on the Maple Leafs' lineup bubble
| POLL | ||
11 AVRIL | 362 ANSWERS Nick Robertson reveals where he's at with the Leafs in contract talks What does a proper contract extension look like for Nick Robertson and the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Bridge deal, something around 2 years, $2M AAV | 218 | 60.2 % |
| Ink him long-term now, 8 years, $4-5M range | 43 | 11.9 % |
| I still think they should trade him | 53 | 14.6 % |
| Just give him his qualifying offer for 1 year | 48 | 13.3 % |
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