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The Toronto Maple Leafs and many observers believed the club had found a diamond in the rough in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft in Nick Robertson. The winger broke out in his third season with the Peterborough Petes, leading the OHL with 55 goals, playing well at the 2020 World Juniors for Team USA, and even playing four games and scoring a goal in the bubble for the Leafs in the postseason, but the last three years have been a series of injury setbacks.
Robertson suffered a shoulder injury in the Leafs 5-0 victory over Los Angeles on December 8 after being throttled to the boards by Kings defenseman Matt Roy. Originally it was thought that surgery would be avoided and that rehab would keep the young forward out six-to-eight weeks, but on Monday the club announced that he underwent season-ending surgery that will keep the 21-year-old out six months.
This is the third major injury for the California native (he missed a month at the start of the 2021 campaign with a knee injury, and the first half of last season with a broken fibula), and represents another major setback for one of the Leafs best prospects. After getting stronger in the offseason, an excellent training camp, an injury to Calle Jarnkrok, and the failure of Denis Malgin to play higher in the lineup, the club wanted to see if Robertson was able to handle playing a bigger role.
With the uncertain future of Leafs 2020 first-rounder Rodion Amirov and a number of unrestricted free agent left wingers coming up this summer, there was likely more riding on Robertson being able to come through as a viable option. Whether that will be the case will be a big question going into next season. While there is little doubt that he has the shot and skating ability to play in the NHL, the 5’10”, 183 lb. winger now must prove that he can stay healthy to take advantage of his ample skills.
The club also announced that Marlies defenseman Mac Hollowell suffered a fractured kneecap last Wednesday against the Manitoba Moose, and will be out a minimum of three months and head coach Sheldon Keefe indicate that Victor Mete’s lower-body injury turned out to be more significant than previously thought.
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The Leafs will hope to get back on the winning track at home as they take on the Florida Panthers for the first time this season. The Panthers are playing the second of back-to-back games after a 4-1 victory in Buffalo on Monday afternoon.
Spencer Knight (9-7-3, 3.05 GAA, .906 save %) will be in goal for Florida after Sergei Bobrovsky got the win over the Sabres on Monday, and Keefe confirmed that Matt Murray (11-5-2, 2.56 GAA, .917 save %) will make his second straight start for Toronto.
Illness seems to be making its way through the Leafs room, as Pontus Holmberg and Rasmus Sandin missed practice on Monday and skated during an optional at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday morning. Bobby McMann is expected to return to the Toronto lineup on the Leafs third line, with Alex Kerfoot taking Holmberg’s place centering the fourth line with Zach Aston-Reese and Dryden Hunt.
Timothy Liljegren skated with Morgan Rielly, and Jordie Benn was paired with Conor Timmins at practice on Monday with Sandin likely being unavailable.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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