‘It’s Reassuring Knowing I’m Capable Of That’: Maybe It’s Time to End the Nick Robertson Trade Talk — Maple Leafs Winger Thriving On Top Line

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'It's Reassuring Knowing I'm Capable Of That': Maybe It’s Time to End the Nick Robertson Trade Talk — Maple Leafs Winger Thriving On Top Line

Maybe all Nick Robertson needed was the right opportunity.

With William Nylander recently sidelined by a lower-body injury, and the Toronto Maple Leafs searching for options on Auston Matthews’ right side, it’s been Robertson who has recently brought out the best in the team’s captain.

In the three games Robertson has played with Matthews, Robertson has three goals and two assists.

“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a blessing for sure,” Robertson said after Toronto’s 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. “For me, I try to take advantage of it. They’re just such good, talented players, him and Kniesy (Matthew Knies), and I just want to do my best to complement them out there”.

It’s been a long journey for Robertson and the Maple Leafs, with the 23-year-old a constant topic of discussion about possibly being moved to another club. Instead, Robertson has quietly stepped up his game, focusing on his business.

“Well, part of that, obviously, is with the opportunity I’ve been given,” Robertson acknowledged. “It’s not that the mindset has changed. I think with more minutes played, more pucks on my stick, I just have more confidence. I think nothing changes me as a player or anything. I think it’s just I got more of an opportunity. What I like from it is just capitalizing on my chances, being confident with the puck and acting like I belonged there, which I feel like you can play with those guys and play long minutes with that”.

Robertson logged a career-high 17:22 of ice time while playing with Matthews in Toronto’s 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

With the departure of Mitch Marner in the off-season, the Leafs have tried multiple options on the right side of Matthews with little success to get the captain back to the offensive clip he had shown in previous seasons. Nylander was supposed to be that option, but now it may make sense to put Nylander elsewhere when the player returns.

“I think the chemistry has been growing each game,” Matthews said of Robertson on Saturday. “He worked really hard. He’s fast, he’s tenacious on pucks, he wins battles, and I thought we definitely gelled really well tonight. We had a lot of good opportunities and just played a simple game, but just kind of led with our work ethic and let the skill take over when we had opportunities, too”.

Robertson got his NHL start in the 2020 playoffs, but his tenure with the Leafs has been up-and-down. During the 2020-21 season, Robertson did get a look on the second line with Nylander and John Tavares, but injuries, among other things, set the player back. Last season, Robertson played in a career-high 69 games, scoring 15 goals and adding seven assists. That came after a summer where the player requested a trade, only to end up signing a one-year deal instead.

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But it begs a question of why Robertson, who at his peak can make up for the speed the Leafs have lost in Marner, didn’t get more of a look in the top-six under Craig Berube until now.

“He was basically on mostly a third line player, but power play and stuff. And then this year we’ve got different players and different things,” Berube reasoned. “So we gave him a look up there and he’s doing a good job. It’s not about us not giving him a shot up there. It’s just these guys, it’s where they’re slotted. So we had some different people this year and he’s gone up there and done a good job”.

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Confidence is key in the NHL and Robertson being able to perform no doubt helps all involved. If Robertson was being played simply to be showcased, then he’s certainly passed the test. But unless the return is substantial, maybe the Leafs should tap the brakes on trading away a young player who is finally fulfilling his promise.

“It’s reassuring for me knowing that I’m capable of that,” Robertson said. “I always strive to get more minutes and play a lot more and be relied upon”.