TSN: Chris Johnston on Nick Robertson’s situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs, that there is a chance for him, but will he re-sign with the team?
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Jamie McLennan: “I want to get back to Nick Robertson. Where do you think those talks are, or where do you think they will end? In that case, I don’t believe it, do you believe he’s a young player, 22, I think he had, 13, 14 goals last year?
Jeff O’Neill: “Well, he got hurt a lot, and every time he came back he scored.”
McLennan: “I know, but what’s he like, okay, so what is he?” If he is, I don’t know what he is as a player yet. Are you nine, top-9? Are you top six? Do you believe? Where do you think you fit in?
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And then, obviously, with every dollar count, tight against the cap, like they could raise him a lot here. So, you know, where do you think this all ends? Or, you know, where do you think he might fit in? Because if they bring in other guys, they, there might be guys who take him off the list.
Johnston: “Definitely. And you know what’s different here, this doesn’t seem to be related, you know, related to money. It is not as if there is any interruption in the discussions.
I mean, this trade request was made, you know, after he got, you know, you know, after they kept his rights as an RFA and (inaudible), so, you know, it’s not about the money. I think it’s about opportunity.
And, you know, for those of us who don’t have emotions involved in this, just watching from the outside, you know, I think you’re sitting here at a neutral party and you say, OK, this is the first year. They will not need to be abandoned. Sorry, you’ll need a waiver to go to the Marlies, so you probably won’t get a waiver. He’s going to be in the NHL.
If you had a problem during your playing time, it was probably connected to your head coach. The Leafs have changed head coaches and Craig Berube is now in charge.
And they are not as deep, frankly, on paper, as they have been in years past. I mean, I think it’s pretty clear to see, Matthew Knies I think is going to be a top six option for them on the left side. No one else can say for sure. I mean, maybe Bobby McMann, coming off an injury, can fill that role. Probably Robertson. Maybe it’s someone who hasn’t been signed yet, or a player who ends up getting in when he tries.
But the point is, there is clearly an opportunity there. And at least so far, Nick Robertson has no intention of continuing to sign with the Leafs.
And then, where does it end? I mean, I think it depends on how strongly he believes in his beliefs. Is he, willing to sit out, you know, days, weeks, months, to prove his point, to try to force the organizations hand.
I mean, in the end, this is different, even many, many years ago, when (William) Nylander – the Leafs stood up, which, you know, standing up, was about money. Nylander was a well-proven piece at the time. He obviously had room to grow, but he was a valuable member of the team.
I mean, I don’t think anyone can say for sure what Nick Robertson is for the Leafs. I mean, it’s very encouraging to see the number of goals he scored last year, 14 of them, 13 even. But, you know, can he do it within a certain period of time? Can he handle more minutes? Could he be in a prime-time role?
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I mean, I think he’s still going to show it. He has to prove it. And the only way to do that, you know, eventually, is to play somewhere. And then you know, he won’t have a place to play, at least in North America, if he continues to stick, you know, strong in his desire to be sold and the leaves don’t sell him because they control his rights as long as he is a restricted free agent.
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