The Worst is Confirmed for a Top Maple Leafs Prospect

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Austin Kelly
September 9, 2023 (1:16 PM)

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One of the Maple Leafs most NHL-ready prospects may still have to wait a bit longer to secure a place in the show.

Leafs Prospect Appears To Be In Limbo For Next Season

It appears that the Leafs deep forward group means that top prospect Nick Robertson will likely start in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies again, with his potential for making the roster still an unknown.

Robertson, 22, the Leafs 2nd Round Pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has been slow in his development due to injuries, having already suffered multiple setbacks throughout his time in Toronto's organization, a shoulder injury against the Kings forced Robertson out for the season as the young LW was beginning to find his game with the Leafs.

In a newly released "mailbag" article, Sportsnet's Luke Fox speculates that Robertson will likely start once again with the AHL Marlies, given both Toronto's current strength at Left Wing, as well as easing Robertson back following his shoulder injury, giving him a chance to prove himself.

Well, the cap-pressed Leafs are once again carrying a tight roster (likely fewer than 23 bodies), and the soon-to-be-22-year-old Robertson is once again exempt from waivers, plus he hasn't played a game since suffering his season-ending shoulder injury on Dec. 8." - Luke Fox, Sportsnet

Robertson has 3 Goals, 4 Assists & 7 Points in 31 Career Games for Toronto. Robertson, the brother of Stars Forward Jason, is still seen as a top prospect in Toronto's organization, despite his injury issues, and looked like he could make a push at a spot last season, but appears to have been usurped by fellow young LW Matthew Knies, who has now solidified himself as a full-time NHLer. To perhaps Robertson's benefit, fellow Wingers Max Domi & Tyler Bertuzzi are on one-year deals, and with a strong season, Robertson could push to showcase himself as one of their replacements down the road, and finally establish himself as a proper NHL-level player.

Read More At HockeyFeed - Insider has bad prediction for Toronto's Robertson