Nick Robertson hasn’t done enough to crack the Maple Leafs’ opening night roster

They were talking about it on the TSN broadcast on Friday night: It’s one thing to get chances, it’s another to finish on them. Simply put, if Robertson’s going to stick at the NHL level, he needs to start burying consistently. So far, he’s been unable to do that and that’s probably why he’s on the roster bubble yet again. The margin for error in this league is razor thin.

Most importantly, I think the biggest key for him this season is staying healthy. Unfortunately, he’s been injured a lot early on in his pro career, which in turn, I think has stunted his growth to a degree. Furthermore, I want to see him have a monster season in the AHL and really build up his confidence. Honestly, that’s all I think it is with him —confidence. At this level, it really can be a true separator between a player who makes it and one that doesn’t.

Any way you slice it though, if he doesn’t make the team, it’s not the end of the world. That said, the response could be everything for Robertson’s future. He needs to go down to the AHL and dominate. On top of that, it would be nice to see him fine-tune his game a little and become a bit more polished. Furthermore, I find what really works against him is his lack of versatility. He’s a scorer with speed. That’s it, that’s all. So, if he’s not scoring at the NHL level, what exactly is he doing for you?

Therein lies the issue.