It could really benefit him if he comes in and gets a few points right off the bat, but it could also stunt his growth if he just gets absolutely shut down, smacked all over the place, or even seriously injured. Playoff hockey is just a different breed of tough and to see him get taken out by a flying knee or elbow or get slashed and break his wrist would just be absolutely awful

You want him killed?

Nuts to think he NHL ready. Actually do his age, I think he still has junior eligibility.

Are you that desperate for a D man?

ah yes, nick robertson is most definitely a defenceman

You are probably right but this kid looks like he might be a real special player who jumps directly from junior to the NHL. This would allow the Leafs to get a good read on his development. I actually think you can not send him back to OHL next year as he is just too good with something like 42 goals in 37 games so far this year with the Petes.

I could certainly see a situation where Nick Robertson joins the Marlies, once the Petes are eliminated, but not the Leafs. Not a chance. At 5'9, 160 lbs, I highly doubt he is up for the physical challenges that come along with playing NHL hockey, never mind NHL playoff hockey. It will be interesting though to see what the Leafs do with him for next season though. Considering the year he's having in the OHL, I would think there is some sort of chance he finds his way onto the Leafs next season, but it would take one helluva offseason I would think.

r/whoosh

This....


And this...

All good points. This kid is highly skilled so the 5 feet and 9 inches and 160 pounds will not stop him and no different than Pettersson and Gaudreau in that if you can play you can play in the NHL. I also think he is better prepared for NHL hockey than alot of people think in that his older brother (Jason Robertson) was drafted by Dallas Stars and is playing in AHL and he most likely trains and talks to brother alot about making the NHL. His older brother is also 6 feet and 2 inches so would not be surprised if Nick Robertson will add a bit more height and definately more pounds to his frame.

As a Leafs fan, I took personal offense when other team's players in the AHL and at the IIHF World Juniors targeted Rasmus Sandin and his wrist. I would hate to see another Leaf's top prospect go through that. Sure, as a rookie, you take your lumps, but the Leafs don't really have anyone to protect him. They didn't really with Marner either. It's not the Leafs' game, I understand that, and while I agree size should definitely not matter, it is more about his physical maturity, then his actual height. I just don't want to see the kid rushed and get hurt. That benefits no one. All things considered though, he is currently clipping at more than 1.0 goal per game, so clearly the OHL has become to easy for him, yet he's still too young to play full-time in the AHL. So what do the Leafs do? Clearly, this is part of the issue with the upper echelon of minor league hockey development.

I really agree with all your comments and think Robertson is creating a difficult decision for the Leafs management group as he appears too good to return to the OHL next year. I think alot of people were also worried on whether Marner could survive in the NHL given his size and he proved all the so called experts wrong as he bypassed the AHL and went straight up to the Leafs. Robertson is highly skilled like Marner and think he also might be able to make the jump up to the Leafs next year and am confident that the Leafs have some players that will protect him like Clifford and Muzzen and hopefully Marchment next year.

Optimism is always great. Clifford and Muzzin, at least for the moment, are both UFAs by the way. The additional great thing about Nick Robertson, or at least his ELC contract, is that there are no bonus issues for the Leafs and their cap to deal with in future season. I would say that right there remove some stress from the situation. I am excited to see what the prospect can bring to the Marlies, assuming he gets in some games. That will be a good indication as to where he is development-wise. Keep in mind, a ready Nick Robertson would mean that the Leafs could potentially move more than one forward this offseason, since Robertson would ideally be looking at a top-9 spot, if not top-6 spot. A line I would like to see is Hyman-Tavares-Robertson. With Mikheyev hopefully resigned and returning to the Leafs for the 2020-21 season, suddenly the Leafs have even more of a glut of top-6 and top-9 guys.