In need of secondary scoring, Maple Leafs turn to Nick Robertson

Nick Robertson stepped on the Scotiabank Arena ice on Monday and did as he was expected to do. He took pointers from the Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coaches. He smiled as new teammate Matthew Knies howled in delight after scoring a goal in the morning skate. He dangled with the puck on his own before putting his elite shot to use against Joseph Woll.

When he stepped off the ice, he exchanged pleasantries with reporters. He yapped with new linemate Max Domi about a variety of nutritional supplements. And when the cameras put a spotlight on the fresh cut he sported on his right cheek after taking a high stick against the Laval Rocket two days earlier, he quipped like a veteran: “No penalty on the call.”

In short, after getting a call-up to the Leafs on Monday, Robertson was exactly where he was supposed to be: Back in the NHL. The Leafs desperately need secondary scoring. Their 5-on-5 scoring has plummeted to 2.15 goals per 60 minutes, 21st in the league, down from 2.8 goals per 60 minutes, seventh in the NHL last season. They’ve turned to Robertson, who after scoring five goals and 11 points in nine AHL games to start the season, sounds ready to provide what the Leafs need.

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“I’m really confident now,” Robertson said. “I got my reps (in the AHL.) Last year I played a couple games and played up here and tried to find my confidence that way. I guess I’m coming up here with a lot more confidence and a lot more touches than last year.”

Robertson’s spirited game could give a boost to a Leafs team that has yet to put together a complete performance. The defensively-minded Pontus Holmberg was sent down to the Marlies.

At the very least, Roberston should be able to generate more of what the Leafs need from players not named Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.

“We’ve been talking a lot about the fact that we haven’t gotten enough offence from our bottom six in particular,” Sheldon Keefe said.

This is not a call-up that carries a lot of risk. Robertson is not a prospect like Matthew Knies, who entered the league last season straight out of college, or an AHL journeyman who is looking for a chance to prove himself with a new team. Robertson knows his teammates, he knows the building he’ll be playing in. He even knows the Lightning themselves, having played his third-to-last NHL game against Tampa Bay on Dec. 3, 2022. Heck, he looked to have a decent chance at making the Leafs roster when training camp began before the surprising rise of Fraser Minten.

Though injuries have plagued his career, if you include the strange playoffs in the bubble in 2020, this will technically be Robertson’s fourth tour of duty in the NHL.

That’s why Robertson – who entered training camp with a more peaceful presence about him compared to past seasons – can enter his fourth season at just 22 with the confidence he seems to have in spades. This is a deserved call-up for Robertson in a variety of ways.

First, the most obvious: The man has filled the net in the AHL to start the season in a way no other Marlie has.

“I played down there like 20 minutes (a game) and power play and key situations. So with that, you get a lot of touches, a lot of confidence and you produce. So I’m happy with that,” Robertson said.

His 1.22 points per game is tops among all Marlies, and Robertson isn’t just getting his cookies with the man advantage. Four of his five goals have come at 5-on-5. That’s important considering he might not get loads of power play team in his latest audition with the Leafs.

“I like Robbie a lot. He’s a hard-working kid,” Morgan Rielly said of Robertson. “His issue is not work ethic, that’s for sure.”

Next, he’s done what’s been asked of him in the AHL: He’s continued to add more patience and foresight to his game and not always rushing plays with the puck the way he might have in the past.

Though he told The Athletic he was growing “numb” to being sent down to the Marlies yet again, behind the scenes, the Marlies never saw a change in his attitude. His drive, which was already a talking point among teammates on Monday morning, wasn’t extinguished.

“He’s got that fire,” Rielly said of Robertson. “I like that in a teammate. He wants to be the best he can be.”

Had his confidence slipped, his production might have gone with it.

But it didn’t, and now that outright confidence and offensive capabilities are going to be needed by Keefe.

“When I say offence it’s not just about goals and all that, it’s about time on offence, playing in the offensive zone, sustaining shifts, winning shifts, bringing energy. Nick has the ability to do those things,” Keefe said.

What’s important to note here is that the Leafs are putting him in a position to succeed. Robertson’s best attributes are his shot and his energy. He’s succeeded in the AHL because he’s been given plenty of rope on the top line with the Marlies. With his shot and consistent drive to create offence, Robertson needs to be utilized alongside offensively-minded players. Even though there might be concerns about how he’ll adjust in his first NHL game in almost a year, stashing him on a fourth line was never a strong option.

Because Robertson looks like a more intelligent player now than he was in seasons past, the Leafs are right to put their faith in him. The knock on him earlier in his career was that he rushed plays and could not let the game come to him in the offensive zone. Robertson said it would be important for him to “use his teammates” with this latest call-up.

Playing with veteran players like Domi, whose playmaking could help bring out Robertson’s shot, and Calle Jarnkrok could help him avoid slipping into old habits.

“Nick is trying to establish himself as an NHL player. He wants to impress. He’s that kind of kid. He’s going to give us absolute, maximum effort. I don’t question that at all. But there’s still lots of other things. We’re playing against a very good opponent,” Keefe said.

Because Keefe sent Robertson down to the AHL out of training camp, it’s worth wondering how high a level of trust the coach has in Robertson. Keefe, of note, reinforced the need for Robertson to “play smart and disciplined.”

Robertson believes he’s learned how to do what’s required of him. Both him and the Leafs will undoubtedly hope this latest run with the Leafs is less of a short-term audition and more of a step toward establishing himself as the full-time NHL player he’s long clamoured to be.

“The biggest thing that I talk about with any player who comes up, and I chatted about it with Nick today, is ‘Don’t think too much. Just play. You’re a good player. Move your feet and a lot of the things will just fall into place from there,’” Keefe said.

(Photo: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)