Robertson has one goal in 18 games this season.
Robertson has one goal in 18 games this season.
With several regular forwards out of the lineup, the timing was right for Nick Robertson to break out in a big way offensively. But the Toronto Maple Leafs forward has struggled to find the back of the net.
Through 18 games this season, Robertson has one goal and no assists. It's certainly not what the Leafs expected from the forward who reportedly wanted out during the offseason.
On Sunday, Robertson had five shot attempts in the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club, including a big chance in the slot while on the power play. With the puck on his stick, Robertson missed a partially open net.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke about Robertson's struggles to score but also highlighted what he has liked from the player defensively.
"I thought Nicky had a good game, though. Worked extremely hard, you know, was in the right spots defensively and did his job. Had some looks, and it didn't go in. I mean, he's just got to stick with it. It's going to go in eventually for him," Berube said.
This is the longest offensive drought of Robertson's career at any level. In his junior career with the Peterborough Petes, Robertson was a scoring dynamo, netting 55 goals in just 46 games during the 2019-20 season, leading the Ontario Hockey League in goals that year. Last season in the NHL, he scored 14 goals in 56 games and had a legitimate gripe about not playing enough given his scoring pedigree.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwiQ5kbr1gs[/embed]
Under Berube, the team is being asked to play better defensively, and that is most certainly the case across the board for the Atlantic Division-leading Leafs.
On Sunday, Robertson drew two penalties to increase his total to a team-leading nine this season. He was promoted to the top-six forward group for the game and played a season-high 16:53.
"We all feel for him, and we want him to put the puck in the net," Berube added. "And he's just, I mean, it's not easy. It's not, I wouldn't know anything about it because I didn't worry about that. But he's the type of player that wants to score goals and that's part of his job. But, you know, he did some real good things tonight, even though he didn't score."
The Leafs improved to 7-1-0 in their last eight games and haven’t been forced into any major changes despite Robertson’s scoring slump. However, after being promoted to a top-six position on Saturday, Robertson was visibly frustrated when he couldn't convert, raising his head to the sky in exasperation.
Alex Nylander, making his Leafs debut, got a couple of shifts in place of Robertson on the second line, though some of that was to pair the Nylander brothers for a brief stretch.
But as players start to get healthy, Robertson may find himself pushed further down the lineup, or even scratched, which has happened on a few occasions this season.