When Nick Robertson Might Make his Maple Leafs Season Debut

Called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, Nick Robertson skated on the second line at practice in place of William Nylander, who wasn't feeling well.

One year older and a bit wiser, Nick Robertson said it wasn't any easier cut from the Toronto Maple Leafs' roster.

"It's kind of harder to grasp. It's a unique situation given the cap and everything," Robertson said following his first in-season practice with the Maple Leafs on Sunday. "I moved on and I just tried to do what I do with the Marlies and thankfully I'm here."

Robertson was one of three players called up by the Maple Leafs on Sunday following an adductor injury to goaltender Matt Murray. The extra salary-cap space afforded to the Leafs by putting Murray on long-term injured reserve (out minimum of four weeks) allowed the club to extend their roster from a minimum of 20 players to a maximum of 23).

Maple Leafs Sheldon Keefe explained to Robertson when he was cut last week that he was a "victim of circumstance" and that scenarios like the one that played out on Saturday could result in the 21-year-old returning to the club as quickly as he departed.

"Sometimes decisions have to be made that don't go your way and it's all about how you handle that that determines what happens next," Keefe said. "I talked about the fact that we were going to go to Montreal and play a game and something might happen in that game and you come back."

This time it took three games, but Robertson has returned. On Sunday, he skated on the team's second line in place of William Nylander, who wasn't feeling well enough to take part.

"We'll have to see where he's at and the rest of our group going into tomorrow and make some determinations from there," Keefe said.

But Keefe does see Robertson getting into a game at some point soon.

"When that is, we'll have to wait and see."