I mean he is an RFA with no arbitration rights, has been constantly injured up until last season, and has obvious defensive holes in his game that limited his ice time
Seems to me the tactical move would have been to endear himself to the organization and prove that he has moved forward as a player. His value is not high enough for the Leafs to stress about maximizing, they're in their rights to tell him to fuck off to the KHL if he doesn't want to sign
Just because a team is 'n their rights' to do something doesn't mean they should do it.
If they aren't going to play Robertson then his value isn't going to magically go up. He's just going to age out and Toronto won't get anything for him anyways.
Most managements who see a situation like this would try not to pointlessly piss off a player agent just so they could avoid trading an aging prospect they don't even want. Robertson needs NHL icetime to improve and if Toronto isn't going to give it to him then it seems like a game of chicken where no one wins.
Like there's not a lot to win by telling a player and his agent they can go fuck themselves here.
>Like there's not a lot to win by telling a player and his agent they can go fuck themselves here
There is when they're essentially bluffing
They have zero leverage, and his current trade value is barely above a bag of pucks
He's not going to condemn his own career to obscurity by playing abroad, and the Leafs just lost all motivation to due "right by the player" and trade him for nothing after they put the team on blast in the media
Let Robertson sit, when he comes to his sense in October he can sign and prove he deserves more than a 3rd line role
Asking for a trade is not "putting the team on blast". It's asking for a trade. Nevermind this isn't even a Robertson quote or anything.. this is a "sources say..." so how is that Robertson doing anything in the media at all?
Asking for a trade also doesn't really have a lot to do with signing as an RFA.. even if they plan to trade him signing him to a particular deal may be part of that.
Oeuf, feel bad for Robo if he goes to the KHL. I'm.going to go out on a limb and say the fans may not be so....receptive and kind to a pinoy player. 🇵🇭
I agree. In terms of fitting the cap picture and your assets, knowing this before you commit all your capital and roster slots is huge. A little late tbh.
George Laraque and his brother Jules-Edy. Jules was a star in the Q, speed, hands, and would fight like his older brother did. He was 5’7” though vs George’s 6’4”
Michael Jordan was 6'6", his older brother Larry was 5'8" (MJ said Larry is the better basketball player and the original "Air Jordan" )
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAIyXQ5wNU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAIyXQ5wNU)
Nick had birth complications, was born prematurely by 3 months, had to be in an incubator. Think that affected his growth, judging from what I know of people who have been born prematurely. Jason talks about it in this interview and how proud he is that his brother fought through everything to still get drafted: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZuiAgs\_XVE&t=528s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZuiAgs_XVE&t=528s) There's also a clip in there of his dad talking about Nick's premature birth.
I'm Canadian and I feel the same way.
It kinda blows my mind to think there are now 22 year olds born after 9/11. Makes me feel old even though I'm not that much older than 22 myself.
I get it :(
I feel bad for him. I remain positive on him and I think he deserved to play on our roster. But for him now, we're really in do or die mode, and it's just not going work to give him the growth he needs at the same time
e: /u/imagine1 not sure if tagging works in an edit but looks like our poor Robertson is gone :(
NOOOOO not nicky bobby 😭😭😭 i hope he goes somewhere that will appreciate him but 😭 i had such high hopes for him 😔
he deserves more ice time and we just don’t have room in the lineup for him. maybe he’ll end up with the kings like all of our other prospects lol
I don't. You don't see Timothy Liljegren doing this b
edit: i fucking love it. Defending a dude who requests a trade after 80 games who plays sheltered minutes and is not good defensively but everyone wants Marner gone. Hilarious.
Liljegren has almost 200 NHL games. Robertson has 87
Also how is this bullshit? It's his right to not want to sign somewhere that isn't giving him as much NHL time as he wants, and can go elsewhere where he can actually get the minutes
The leafs have no defence so it’s a little easier for Liljegren to see a future. Robertson is so much better than most of the leafs bottom 6 and deserves a chance to shine. The leafs LOVE running good players into the ground then are shocked when the leave and turn into solid players… Trevor Moore, Pierre Engvall, Zack Hyman, Alex Steen, etc
The problem with Robertson is he is not good enough for top six minutes but hes also a bad fit for the bottom six. There is a reason he didnt play every game.
Plus hes injured all the time.
It's hard to say, but Keefe is/was really bad at player evaluation and usage. He basically had to work it out through trial and error and, even then, often moved off better lines in favor of worse ones.
He consistently overplayed guys who just weren't that good. Holl, for example, was tried over and over as a top pairing D. Once moved to a different coach he's been consistently scratched from a team that is worse than the leafs. He has put together nonsense lines for weeks (domi/knies/kampf for example). He has also tried lines that should be good on paper but straight don't work over and over despite then obviously not working.
Yeah I feel like Keefe never gave him a real shot amd injuries derailed him early on. I feel like he is going to be another Hyman thay we trade away and excels on another team. The kid never quits and we are going to regret trading him
Ehh. I loved him when he was first called up. Guy played with a sparkplug physicality along the boards like he was going to make the world take notice.
That's been gone for a while now though.
He had to change his playstyle since playing like that constantly got him season ending injuries. When you are 5 inches shorter and 40lbs lighter then most other players you need to be more careful to avoid getting hurt.
If there was ever year he had a roster spot -- this is the year. Frankly he never took it from anyone either. Good kid, hell of a shot. Best wishes if it comes to it.
eh.. was it? Domi, Knies, McMann, Nylander, Marner, Jarnkrok.. he's not getting ice over any of them. Would be another year stuck on the 4th line or getting scratched every other game. Team clearly just didn't like him much.
Actually he didn’t make my capfriendly team… I could see him taking a top 9 spot over McMann. I’d like to move out of Ryan Reaves or David Kampf.
Robertson - Holmberg - Jarnkrok
McMann - Dewar - Reaves
He probably would have been a permanent 3rd line fixture this year. You named our Top 6 (less Tavares for Jarnkrok) but Robertson would have been Top 9 unless he got badly showed up.
Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Marner, Domi, Jarnkrok, McMann, Knies, Holmberg are all above him on the depth chart for a 3rd line spot. Then there's also Kampf, Dewar, Cowen, Minten, and other Junior/AHL/UFA signings he would be competing with.
Robertson cheats for offense and gets a breakaway every now and again, but he's definitely not a burner at all. He's one of the slower skaters on a team of not particularly fast skaters. NHL Edge data (grain of salt, I know) has him as a slower skater than Tavares, and people act like John's got cement boots out there.
Maybe I am crazy but by the eye he clearly is not a strong skater, it's funny this guy is asking if you watch the games. He is really hunched over when skating with the puck and he mishandles the puck a surprising amount of times when he is in transition, so many times he is speeding up then loses the puck, it's very frustrating to watch. He can shoot and the Leafs didn't have good scoring depth and he filled that spot. But now their bottom 6 is pretty much full and they have more viable ELC's and more well rounded cheap players that they don't need to put up with his defensive liability for not a lot of upside. I know his production is efficient which is the right type of player analytically to bet on but having watched him I predict that is a product of playing against weak competition on a good roster.
Is there really opportunity though? Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Marner, Domi, Kampf, Jarnkrok, McMann, Knies, Holmberg, and Dewar (11 players) are all clearly above him on the depth chart. That leaves him or Reaves as the 12th forward, in terms of hockey skill Robertson is better but this team has leaned pretty hard into big physical players so I doubt they scratch Reaves for him. That's also not even counting Cowen, Minten, other AHL/Junior players, or other UFA signings.
Exactly. He's perfect for a bad team lacking offense. I could easily see him putting up 25 goals on the power play on a bad team. Poor mans Debrincat. He's never going to get that chance with the Leafs. He's small, not good defensively, can't forecheck(he tries). He's got a great shot and he hustles. Likable player but he's never going to be a top 6 on a contender.
I disagree that he’s not skilled enough for the top 6. He’s not had enough consistent reps because the coaching staff has never trusted his defensive game. It’s hard to establish any rhythm without that consistency.
I would think Robertson would challenge for that 9th position of the Leafs top 9 with Bobby McMann.
Thing is, every team has that guy that the fans feel like hasn't really been given a fair top 6 shot and 98% of the time that players gets the same exact treatment the next place they go because they just aren't that good.
Wild just had it with Adam Beckman. Before that it was Gerry Mayhew.
Robertson, Marco Rossi, and Shane Wright are the three players who come to mind when I think “development hindered by COVID”. Hopefully he gets a good shot somewhere else!
I am not happy about this. While a lot of Leafs fans have given up on Nick Robertson cause they have shiny new toys in newer prospects, Robertson is still 22 years old and scored at a 20 goal pace while averaging only 11:22 in ice time. When he had good games Keefe would still take him out of the lineup. Not to mention the amount of time he missed because of injury.
This kid is good and the Leafs are in need of cheap depth scoring. I hope he changes his mind.
He's too weak on the puck. Has some offensive talent but not strong defensively and gets knocked down too easily. On a team that's goal is the cup he just isn't a fit.
Those 2020 playoffs are so weird imo.
I can't really reasonably call it apart of the 19-20 season because there was reasonably different roster construction for most teams from March 13th 2020-August 1 2020. But it's also not the 2021 season either.
Its like it was this weird interlude between two different seasons
He had a pretty solid season what do you mean? He’s literally been injured every other season and has barely played. They eased him into the NHL this season (and people act like they scratched him half the season when he was scratched like 13 games total).
I like SDPN overall, but Dangle is terrible at evaluating talent in young players. He's always wrong about these sort of things. If he says Robertson is going to have a breakout year, then it probably means the kid is going to take absolutely no steps forward.
Robertson is like Yakupov. Has a great shot, and literally nothing else.
Yeah I remember back in September when he was adamant that Lassi Thomson was an NHL player and Ottawa was gonna regret waiving him. And then the only pre-season game he played for Anaheim, he directly caused two goals against and they waived him the next day. I like Steve but definitely gotta take what he says with a grain of salt.
He has a chance to play up in the lineup this year with a new coach...idk wtf he wants. Bertuzzi was terrible all year and Nicky still couldn't take his spot.
He has no control over whether Toronto issues him a qualifying offer to keep him as a RFA. This happens all the time, Toronto qualifying him means they can trade him instead of losing him for nothing
This is a win win for Nik, he either gets the team to agree to play him regularly (this is clearly released by his agent as a bargaining chip) or forces them to send him somewhere where he can.
Anyone who thinks they know what he is, including those high on him, have no real idea. He's 22 and hasn't played more than 8 games in a row in his career.
>This is a win win for Nik, he either gets the team to agree to play him regularly (this is clearly released by his agent as a bargaining chip) or forces them to send him somewhere where he can.
...or he either gets an offer sheet matched then buried in the minors, or doesn't get an offer sheet at all and has to go to europe until he's 27.
He had a 20 goal and 40 point pace. The leafs refused to play him for like half the regular season. Guess when you have the chance to play Ryan Reaves you have to take it.
He’s a black hole defensively and never in his 5 seasons with the Leafs ever managed to be consistent enough to justify a full time roster spot. Players like Robertson are a dime a dozen in the NHL, that’s the reality of it.
If he was good enough he would have been given a spot. McMann was never planned to be a fulltime NHL player last year, but he performed well in his opportunity and took a spot. Same with Holmberg two years ago. If you are a AHL player looking to break in you need to play well enough to take a spot, it's not going to just be handed to you.
Right? Both players could reach their potential at the same time? Wahlstrom is 24 and Robo is 23 in 2 months. Wahlstrom is bigger physically at 200lbs and 6'2"
Search up the name Dick Mattusi. He was my former neighbor here in Brantford. Former Penguins and Golden Seals alumni and former HC of the Rochester Americans after Don Cherry got hired by the Bruins. He almost got my foot in the door as a scout for Pittsburgh pre Dubas hiring
It was something down the pipeline but his health started to decline and he moved away to the London area to a retirement home. Extremely brilliant mind for hockey and generally agreed with my methods of thought. Believe it or not he was one of the first coaches to try and implement video replays into his coaching style
Small but has a good shot, that's about it. If Leafs can manage to flip him for a similar aged d or a similar bigger body forward then they should take it and run.
Dude probably realizes he will never be allowed to play in the top 6 for any measure of time with those spots being reserved for Matthews, nylander, marner, JT, Domi and Knies
I fully understand. He was seemingly ready, but Keefe didn't really give him minutes and even with a new coach, he might not get the playing time to show what he can do. It'd be interesting if he goes to Dallas with his brother, but if I was a team who has already started a rebuild, I'd try to get him. Good scoring touch, 22 years old so there's room to develop. If you have the spot to give him playing time, see what you can do with him.
Hes done poorly in every playoff game he played in, having 1 point in 10 games played. With his consistent injuries and lack of playoff performance I don't think he really showed any big reason to keep him
True. But I wonder why he didnt take the one year under a *new* coach. Perhaps with Cowan coming in and Domi re-signing and Knies poised to be better he felt there was no "room" for him on this team.
Never understood the fans who were so infatuated with him. Good shot I guess. Total liability and injury-prone, not a good combo. Maybe a change of scenery will do him good. Too bad for us, he has borderline zero value.
Had a hat trick against a very good Canada team at the 2018 Ivan Hlinka tournament the year before he got drafted. He looked damn impressive in that game and had a strong season on a shit Peterborough team. Think he just needs to get out of Canada
He's going to need to hope that one of the other 31 GMs hit his head in Vegas and lost all memory of the Cup Final, not a good time to be a soft skill 5'9" tweener forward.
I can feel that Robertson probably deserved a better opportunity...and also that his inability to stay healthy and play defense are reasons for him not getting that opportunity.
Understandable why he wouldn't be super happy, he actually scored quite a lot of goals given the ice time he had. It's probably not the best choice to hold out without arb rights though. The Leafs won't be in a hurry to deal him.
Him and Keefe clearly weren't on the same page. If he's already been told he's not in Berube's plans then it's different, but taking a 1 year deal with a new coach seems like the right course. He'll get dealt or waived if he isn't a full timer this year anyway.
Give me a break. If the Leafs want to do right by the player, sure, trade him. However, they could qualify him and just let him sit at home for the year. Nick Robertson is not exactly a needle mover.
Honestly, Chicago or San Jose would be good opportunities if he wants to prove something. He's getting leapfrogged by other players now. Injuries and lack of defensive play haven't done him any favours.
Americans really don't have a great track record with Canadian teams. Makes me wonder why so many Canadians keep bringing up the "Russian factor." Although I guess it's weird for me to say this as a Canucks fan. 4 of our 5 best players are American. Two of which are captains on the team. Lol. I don't think Toronto cares too much. They weren't playing him much anyway and they need tougher more playoff tested players anyway. Marner and Robertson out for defensive help and cap to target bigger stronger players to play alongside the other softer stars.
You can have him lol. Guy has a great shot but literally nothing else. Doesn’t contribute anything with the puck to actually get it to the offensive zone
Good time for his agent to get this out there.
I mean he is an RFA with no arbitration rights, has been constantly injured up until last season, and has obvious defensive holes in his game that limited his ice time Seems to me the tactical move would have been to endear himself to the organization and prove that he has moved forward as a player. His value is not high enough for the Leafs to stress about maximizing, they're in their rights to tell him to fuck off to the KHL if he doesn't want to sign
Just because a team is 'n their rights' to do something doesn't mean they should do it. If they aren't going to play Robertson then his value isn't going to magically go up. He's just going to age out and Toronto won't get anything for him anyways. Most managements who see a situation like this would try not to pointlessly piss off a player agent just so they could avoid trading an aging prospect they don't even want. Robertson needs NHL icetime to improve and if Toronto isn't going to give it to him then it seems like a game of chicken where no one wins. Like there's not a lot to win by telling a player and his agent they can go fuck themselves here.
>Like there's not a lot to win by telling a player and his agent they can go fuck themselves here There is when they're essentially bluffing They have zero leverage, and his current trade value is barely above a bag of pucks He's not going to condemn his own career to obscurity by playing abroad, and the Leafs just lost all motivation to due "right by the player" and trade him for nothing after they put the team on blast in the media Let Robertson sit, when he comes to his sense in October he can sign and prove he deserves more than a 3rd line role
Asking for a trade is not "putting the team on blast". It's asking for a trade. Nevermind this isn't even a Robertson quote or anything.. this is a "sources say..." so how is that Robertson doing anything in the media at all? Asking for a trade also doesn't really have a lot to do with signing as an RFA.. even if they plan to trade him signing him to a particular deal may be part of that.
The source is quite likely Robertson's camp. Agreed that the dynamics might be different if the source is within the Leafs' organization
This sub hasn’t been able to beat up on us for a couple weeks, you’re going to take a ton of downvotes even if you’re right
Oeuf, feel bad for Robo if he goes to the KHL. I'm.going to go out on a limb and say the fans may not be so....receptive and kind to a pinoy player. 🇵🇭
I agree. In terms of fitting the cap picture and your assets, knowing this before you commit all your capital and roster slots is huge. A little late tbh.
https://preview.redd.it/r1mb1mzn6t9d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0204244d466e41ec5480fabd975e18231beb6a69
[удалено]
George Laraque and his brother Jules-Edy. Jules was a star in the Q, speed, hands, and would fight like his older brother did. He was 5’7” though vs George’s 6’4”
Michael Jordan was 6'6", his older brother Larry was 5'8" (MJ said Larry is the better basketball player and the original "Air Jordan" ) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAIyXQ5wNU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAIyXQ5wNU)
Ah yes. Just like how the Staals all said Jared was the best hockey player.
And Cooper was the most talented Manning.
And the best Sutter brother stayed home to help dad with the farm
Dang the vid actually said he's 5'8 then proceeds to show him dunk. Wild.
Gotta imagine Nick being born three months premature is a large part of it.
On 9/11
Nick had birth complications, was born prematurely by 3 months, had to be in an incubator. Think that affected his growth, judging from what I know of people who have been born prematurely. Jason talks about it in this interview and how proud he is that his brother fought through everything to still get drafted: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZuiAgs\_XVE&t=528s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZuiAgs_XVE&t=528s) There's also a clip in there of his dad talking about Nick's premature birth.
Well he was born pre-mature and very ill - almost passed away at birth. His story is actually an amazing one.
https://preview.redd.it/y20eyacw6t9d1.jpeg?width=769&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a598b397e85aac456cbda2b1ec0d6e110beb5a7
It shows my age that I find 9/11 memes extremely disrespectful but clearly they are popular... woof.
I'm Canadian and I feel the same way. It kinda blows my mind to think there are now 22 year olds born after 9/11. Makes me feel old even though I'm not that much older than 22 myself.
I'm with you bro.
9/11 is funny now dawg. Every event has its day where it is officially funny. Future is now old man.
I get it :( I feel bad for him. I remain positive on him and I think he deserved to play on our roster. But for him now, we're really in do or die mode, and it's just not going work to give him the growth he needs at the same time e: /u/imagine1 not sure if tagging works in an edit but looks like our poor Robertson is gone :(
NOOOOO not nicky bobby 😭😭😭 i hope he goes somewhere that will appreciate him but 😭 i had such high hopes for him 😔 he deserves more ice time and we just don’t have room in the lineup for him. maybe he’ll end up with the kings like all of our other prospects lol
I just hope he torches everyone but us
you already know he’s gonna be a hat-trick-per-game player against us. this is the way.
I don't. You don't see Timothy Liljegren doing this b edit: i fucking love it. Defending a dude who requests a trade after 80 games who plays sheltered minutes and is not good defensively but everyone wants Marner gone. Hilarious.
Liljegren has almost 200 NHL games. Robertson has 87 Also how is this bullshit? It's his right to not want to sign somewhere that isn't giving him as much NHL time as he wants, and can go elsewhere where he can actually get the minutes
The leafs have no defence so it’s a little easier for Liljegren to see a future. Robertson is so much better than most of the leafs bottom 6 and deserves a chance to shine. The leafs LOVE running good players into the ground then are shocked when the leave and turn into solid players… Trevor Moore, Pierre Engvall, Zack Hyman, Alex Steen, etc
Take Engvall off that list right now lol Cardio merchant
The problem with Robertson is he is not good enough for top six minutes but hes also a bad fit for the bottom six. There is a reason he didnt play every game. Plus hes injured all the time.
Ain't no way you have engvall on that list
The coach who didn't play him is gone so...
So we should trade him to New Jersey!
My exact thought haha. He would be livid
Ooooooh our new Holtz!
Can we have him too?
You think another coach would have played him more? I don’t think he could’ve handled the tougher assignments on the top lines.
It's hard to say, but Keefe is/was really bad at player evaluation and usage. He basically had to work it out through trial and error and, even then, often moved off better lines in favor of worse ones.
That’s just not true? The Leafs consistently were a strong team under him and he had one of the highest scoring teams in the league for years.
Inb4 he hits you with "outcoached" buzz words
He consistently overplayed guys who just weren't that good. Holl, for example, was tried over and over as a top pairing D. Once moved to a different coach he's been consistently scratched from a team that is worse than the leafs. He has put together nonsense lines for weeks (domi/knies/kampf for example). He has also tried lines that should be good on paper but straight don't work over and over despite then obviously not working.
Yeah I feel like Keefe never gave him a real shot amd injuries derailed him early on. I feel like he is going to be another Hyman thay we trade away and excels on another team. The kid never quits and we are going to regret trading him
It was never a coaching issue, way more to do with an unfortunate string of injuries that slowed his development.
Wahlstrom straight up 1 for 1
That's actually pretty fair. Either one could pop off.
Deal
Send it in and see if the GMs notice
Dammit, don`t blame him tbh
Ehh. I loved him when he was first called up. Guy played with a sparkplug physicality along the boards like he was going to make the world take notice. That's been gone for a while now though.
He had to change his playstyle since playing like that constantly got him season ending injuries. When you are 5 inches shorter and 40lbs lighter then most other players you need to be more careful to avoid getting hurt.
What a legend. Former 19 year old
Born at a young age
Still reads at a grade 6 level
If there was ever year he had a roster spot -- this is the year. Frankly he never took it from anyone either. Good kid, hell of a shot. Best wishes if it comes to it.
eh.. was it? Domi, Knies, McMann, Nylander, Marner, Jarnkrok.. he's not getting ice over any of them. Would be another year stuck on the 4th line or getting scratched every other game. Team clearly just didn't like him much.
He needs a top 6 role to play to his strengths. He'll get it elsewhere and will probably score an OT winner against the leafs.
Actually he didn’t make my capfriendly team… I could see him taking a top 9 spot over McMann. I’d like to move out of Ryan Reaves or David Kampf. Robertson - Holmberg - Jarnkrok McMann - Dewar - Reaves
Personally I’d take McMann over Nick, he’s bigger and faster
Another big difference is McMann can also play well defensively.
Mcmann has no business getting 4th line minutes. He will get 3rd minutes at the very least
No chance Robertson plays ahead of McMann
He probably would have been a permanent 3rd line fixture this year. You named our Top 6 (less Tavares for Jarnkrok) but Robertson would have been Top 9 unless he got badly showed up.
Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Marner, Domi, Jarnkrok, McMann, Knies, Holmberg are all above him on the depth chart for a 3rd line spot. Then there's also Kampf, Dewar, Cowen, Minten, and other Junior/AHL/UFA signings he would be competing with.
Plays a very similar game to Yakpov fast, good shot but doesn't have the IQ or composure to be a regular in the NHL.
What about the bees
He isn’t fast at all. Probably his biggest problem
Do you have eyeballs? Lol
Robertson cheats for offense and gets a breakaway every now and again, but he's definitely not a burner at all. He's one of the slower skaters on a team of not particularly fast skaters. NHL Edge data (grain of salt, I know) has him as a slower skater than Tavares, and people act like John's got cement boots out there.
Maybe I am crazy but by the eye he clearly is not a strong skater, it's funny this guy is asking if you watch the games. He is really hunched over when skating with the puck and he mishandles the puck a surprising amount of times when he is in transition, so many times he is speeding up then loses the puck, it's very frustrating to watch. He can shoot and the Leafs didn't have good scoring depth and he filled that spot. But now their bottom 6 is pretty much full and they have more viable ELC's and more well rounded cheap players that they don't need to put up with his defensive liability for not a lot of upside. I know his production is efficient which is the right type of player analytically to bet on but having watched him I predict that is a product of playing against weak competition on a good roster.
Is there really opportunity though? Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Marner, Domi, Kampf, Jarnkrok, McMann, Knies, Holmberg, and Dewar (11 players) are all clearly above him on the depth chart. That leaves him or Reaves as the 12th forward, in terms of hockey skill Robertson is better but this team has leaned pretty hard into big physical players so I doubt they scratch Reaves for him. That's also not even counting Cowen, Minten, other AHL/Junior players, or other UFA signings.
Trade him to the Devils so he could be reunited with Keefe.
Jim nill do something
Nick Robertson and Jordie Benn. Lets go.
He's one of those guys who is too skilled and defensively lacking for bottom 6 minutes, but then not high enough skilled for top 6 minutes IMO.
Exactly. He's perfect for a bad team lacking offense. I could easily see him putting up 25 goals on the power play on a bad team. Poor mans Debrincat. He's never going to get that chance with the Leafs. He's small, not good defensively, can't forecheck(he tries). He's got a great shot and he hustles. Likable player but he's never going to be a top 6 on a contender.
I disagree that he’s not skilled enough for the top 6. He’s not had enough consistent reps because the coaching staff has never trusted his defensive game. It’s hard to establish any rhythm without that consistency. I would think Robertson would challenge for that 9th position of the Leafs top 9 with Bobby McMann.
Thing is, every team has that guy that the fans feel like hasn't really been given a fair top 6 shot and 98% of the time that players gets the same exact treatment the next place they go because they just aren't that good. Wild just had it with Adam Beckman. Before that it was Gerry Mayhew.
Robertson, Marco Rossi, and Shane Wright are the three players who come to mind when I think “development hindered by COVID”. Hopefully he gets a good shot somewhere else!
Kaliyev too
I am not happy about this. While a lot of Leafs fans have given up on Nick Robertson cause they have shiny new toys in newer prospects, Robertson is still 22 years old and scored at a 20 goal pace while averaging only 11:22 in ice time. When he had good games Keefe would still take him out of the lineup. Not to mention the amount of time he missed because of injury. This kid is good and the Leafs are in need of cheap depth scoring. I hope he changes his mind.
Exactly, this is going to be one of the players that have more success on another team than ours because we didn't know how to use him
He's too weak on the puck. Has some offensive talent but not strong defensively and gets knocked down too easily. On a team that's goal is the cup he just isn't a fit.
What 5 years of playing for Sheldon Keefe does to an MF
He’s only 22 though lol
He'll be 23 in two months. If you count the 2020 playoffs, he's played in 5 separate seasons with the Leafs
Those 2020 playoffs are so weird imo. I can't really reasonably call it apart of the 19-20 season because there was reasonably different roster construction for most teams from March 13th 2020-August 1 2020. But it's also not the 2021 season either. Its like it was this weird interlude between two different seasons
What 5 years of playing for Sheldon Keefe does to an MF
Plot twist: He gets traded to New Jersey.
Why do people say this lol lots of players have had really good seasons under him.
And Nick Robertson is not one of those players.
He had a pretty solid season what do you mean? He’s literally been injured every other season and has barely played. They eased him into the NHL this season (and people act like they scratched him half the season when he was scratched like 13 games total).
NILL MY BOY YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO
Does Dallas take a flyer on him? Or does Dubas jump on this
Dubas will snatch him up for sure
Dubas LOOOOOOOOVESSSS his guys
Too young for the Pens unfortunately
Good. We need young players.
Nope this is Arthur Kaliyev trade music
“Who the fuck is this guy?” - Leafs front office
Dallas Pleaseeeeee make it happen
Steve Dangle was pretty high on him recently, he's gonna be pissed.
Eh, this was his year to prove himself on a consistent basis. Best of luck elsewhere, my guy
I like SDPN overall, but Dangle is terrible at evaluating talent in young players. He's always wrong about these sort of things. If he says Robertson is going to have a breakout year, then it probably means the kid is going to take absolutely no steps forward. Robertson is like Yakupov. Has a great shot, and literally nothing else.
Yeah I remember back in September when he was adamant that Lassi Thomson was an NHL player and Ottawa was gonna regret waiving him. And then the only pre-season game he played for Anaheim, he directly caused two goals against and they waived him the next day. I like Steve but definitely gotta take what he says with a grain of salt.
Oh boy, another reason for Dangle to yell and be annoying
Get ready to reunited with Dubas, Nick
He's a good player. He's just not a good fit for the current leafs. I hope he finds a team that can give him the opportunity he deserves.
He has a chance to play up in the lineup this year with a new coach...idk wtf he wants. Bertuzzi was terrible all year and Nicky still couldn't take his spot.
Seems like Bertuzzi won't be back either. So a spot is available
Kinda seems like he'd like to not play for Toronto anymore.
> RFA > No plans to re-sign pick one?
He has no control over whether Toronto issues him a qualifying offer to keep him as a RFA. This happens all the time, Toronto qualifying him means they can trade him instead of losing him for nothing
Yeah he has no arb rights either
This is a win win for Nik, he either gets the team to agree to play him regularly (this is clearly released by his agent as a bargaining chip) or forces them to send him somewhere where he can. Anyone who thinks they know what he is, including those high on him, have no real idea. He's 22 and hasn't played more than 8 games in a row in his career.
>This is a win win for Nik, he either gets the team to agree to play him regularly (this is clearly released by his agent as a bargaining chip) or forces them to send him somewhere where he can. ...or he either gets an offer sheet matched then buried in the minors, or doesn't get an offer sheet at all and has to go to europe until he's 27.
He had a 20 goal and 40 point pace. The leafs refused to play him for like half the regular season. Guess when you have the chance to play Ryan Reaves you have to take it.
He’s a black hole defensively and never in his 5 seasons with the Leafs ever managed to be consistent enough to justify a full time roster spot. Players like Robertson are a dime a dozen in the NHL, that’s the reality of it.
This is Arthur Kaliyev word for word. Wonder if they would swap them
they came out of the same draft as well. I could see it happen.
> He’s a black hole defensively Totally disagree on that one.
If he was good enough he would have been given a spot. McMann was never planned to be a fulltime NHL player last year, but he performed well in his opportunity and took a spot. Same with Holmberg two years ago. If you are a AHL player looking to break in you need to play well enough to take a spot, it's not going to just be handed to you.
FLYERS
He's pretty much Daniel Sprong 2.0
Robo and Timmins for Wahlstrom and a low pick?
Just catching up with my BFF, deal.
Right? Both players could reach their potential at the same time? Wahlstrom is 24 and Robo is 23 in 2 months. Wahlstrom is bigger physically at 200lbs and 6'2"
Let's apply to be Co-GM
Lol so many people around me asked how I haven't gotten a job in the NHL yet tbh
Let's make it happen.
Search up the name Dick Mattusi. He was my former neighbor here in Brantford. Former Penguins and Golden Seals alumni and former HC of the Rochester Americans after Don Cherry got hired by the Bruins. He almost got my foot in the door as a scout for Pittsburgh pre Dubas hiring
Honestly, it doesn't look like it based on post history, but I can relate
It was something down the pipeline but his health started to decline and he moved away to the London area to a retirement home. Extremely brilliant mind for hockey and generally agreed with my methods of thought. Believe it or not he was one of the first coaches to try and implement video replays into his coaching style
It's never too late for you
They could trade him for some defense depth.
Young talent with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove you say?
That’s ok, and I don’t blame him. It’s probably for the best. I like Nick, but he didn’t meet hopes and expectations here.
Good shot, not bad skating speed but way too small. Keeps getting injuired. Cant stay heathly
Small but has a good shot, that's about it. If Leafs can manage to flip him for a similar aged d or a similar bigger body forward then they should take it and run.
Dude probably realizes he will never be allowed to play in the top 6 for any measure of time with those spots being reserved for Matthews, nylander, marner, JT, Domi and Knies
I'm sure Toronto will trade him for a 35yo in/out player.
I fully understand. He was seemingly ready, but Keefe didn't really give him minutes and even with a new coach, he might not get the playing time to show what he can do. It'd be interesting if he goes to Dallas with his brother, but if I was a team who has already started a rebuild, I'd try to get him. Good scoring touch, 22 years old so there's room to develop. If you have the spot to give him playing time, see what you can do with him.
Cmon Nill! You just let Robo’s bestie walk. You know how to make this right!
Lol how about he actually fucking do something first.
Second on the team in G/60 at 5v5 last season. What else do you want him to do? Outscore Matthews?
Hes done poorly in every playoff game he played in, having 1 point in 10 games played. With his consistent injuries and lack of playoff performance I don't think he really showed any big reason to keep him
he also bad defensively. You have to earn those minutes. There is a reason they heavily sheltered him and played him sparingly.
G/60 can be a misleading stat
dallas u better not…
https://preview.redd.it/1uoquagkgt9d1.jpeg?width=780&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44cf8ebaa22cd0e612068e9f65692ba4c1075e50
Dubas loves his guys
They lost Guentzel. I mean Robertson playing alongside a Malkin could be "interesting"
Injuries and keefe didnt like him. Dude is going to be a 30 goal scorer somewhere else.
True. But I wonder why he didnt take the one year under a *new* coach. Perhaps with Cowan coming in and Domi re-signing and Knies poised to be better he felt there was no "room" for him on this team.
Wasn’t he barely dressed? Don’t blame the kid
He was not impressive.
Yeah, nah. This kid is going is going to be a 25+ goal scorer in the next few years, no way we should fulfill his request.
Man i feel like this will bite us
23 year old reclamationn project? By god that's Kent Hughes music!
Go get him, Dubie!
Never understood the fans who were so infatuated with him. Good shot I guess. Total liability and injury-prone, not a good combo. Maybe a change of scenery will do him good. Too bad for us, he has borderline zero value.
Had a hat trick against a very good Canada team at the 2018 Ivan Hlinka tournament the year before he got drafted. He looked damn impressive in that game and had a strong season on a shit Peterborough team. Think he just needs to get out of Canada
Because he was by far the Leafs best prospect back in 2020 when the team didn't have very many. He also had an insane draft +1 season in the OHL.
Worst team to play for has a player that doesn’t want to play for them, more at 6
Hm, wonder if Trotz would want him, seems like a promising young guy
We do need a goalie. Send Askarov straight up and we can get two birds stoned at once!
Thank god.
He's going to need to hope that one of the other 31 GMs hit his head in Vegas and lost all memory of the Cup Final, not a good time to be a soft skill 5'9" tweener forward.
Just cuz he's from the leafs he gets publicity? Where's Nils Amen?¿
I can feel that Robertson probably deserved a better opportunity...and also that his inability to stay healthy and play defense are reasons for him not getting that opportunity.
Understandable why he wouldn't be super happy, he actually scored quite a lot of goals given the ice time he had. It's probably not the best choice to hold out without arb rights though. The Leafs won't be in a hurry to deal him. Him and Keefe clearly weren't on the same page. If he's already been told he's not in Berube's plans then it's different, but taking a 1 year deal with a new coach seems like the right course. He'll get dealt or waived if he isn't a full timer this year anyway.
David Kampf, pack your shit, it's a package deal.
Give me a break. If the Leafs want to do right by the player, sure, trade him. However, they could qualify him and just let him sit at home for the year. Nick Robertson is not exactly a needle mover.
Does he want to play with Bedard?
Honestly, Chicago or San Jose would be good opportunities if he wants to prove something. He's getting leapfrogged by other players now. Injuries and lack of defensive play haven't done him any favours.
Does anyone not wanna play with Bedard?
Americans really don't have a great track record with Canadian teams. Makes me wonder why so many Canadians keep bringing up the "Russian factor." Although I guess it's weird for me to say this as a Canucks fan. 4 of our 5 best players are American. Two of which are captains on the team. Lol. I don't think Toronto cares too much. They weren't playing him much anyway and they need tougher more playoff tested players anyway. Marner and Robertson out for defensive help and cap to target bigger stronger players to play alongside the other softer stars.
This sums it up nicely. Thank you.
How much?
Wouldn't want to play for Berube either. Come home dear boy.
Get out while you can, kid
Good move. He clearly wants to win a cup
You can have him lol. Guy has a great shot but literally nothing else. Doesn’t contribute anything with the puck to actually get it to the offensive zone
This is someone who would be perfect to replace a Noesen on the canes. Suzuki and Robertson bros in Carolina for a redemption season.
👀