While the National Hockey League and individual clubs are focused on what will happen with the rest of the 2019-20 season, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas also is looking at next season and behind. Besides young defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, the organization’s most intriguing prospect is 2019 second-round pick Nick Robertson.
The 18-year-old led the Peterborough Petes and the Ontario Hockey League with 55 goals this season and was a top performer for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior in the Czech Republic, but because he turns 19 next season, Robertson can only play in the OHL or NHL and is not eligible to play in the American Hockey League.
(Robertson is) one of the more focused and hard working prospects that I've seen in my time in hockey. He knows the areas that he needs to continue to work on; he's got a great read on that.” Dubas said in a conference call on Tuesday. “Come training camp we’ll give him every opportunity to potentially make the team and put the ball in his court and see what he can do in the fall, we hope."
There would be no benefit in rushing the winger if he is not strong enough or experienced enough at both ends of the ice to handle the NHL. Leafs first-rounders Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly all benefited from an extra year in the CHL or SHL before playing in a North American professional league, but Dubas has been impressed with Robertson since being selected 53rd overall in Vancouver at the 2019 Draft.
"(Robertson) was really strong for us in the rookie tournament in Traverse City, carried that through training camp. I think looking back and reflecting on it, we probably should have given him more of a look in training camp and probably reward (him with) an exhibition game or two to see how he did there, but he went back to Peterborough, had a great attitude and was an excellent player for them right away." Dubas said.
I know the goal scoring was prolific, but the part of his game we really came to admire during the season was his play on the defensive side, especially on the penalty kill. His ability to win the puck back and then, and then tear down the ice and introduce chances and scoring for the Petes (and) obviously played a huge role (for Team USA at the 2020 World Junior) as well”
Factors that could lead the Leafs to give a youngster like Robertson a legitimate shot to make the roster could be linked on the state of the league’s salary cap next season, whether players like Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen need to be moved to create cap space to pay for the re-signing of Travis Dermott or for RFA Ilya Mikheyev’s new deal and Toronto’s success In attracting more experienced players from Europe as they did with Mikheyev last summer.
Dubas confirmed reports of Toronto’s interest in SKA St. Petersburg winger Alexander Barabanov and that the Leafs continue to pursue the 25-year-old left winger.
"Alex is a player that we've scouted and watched, he along with many others over there (that) we're certainly interested in." Dubas said. "He's not tall (5'9"), but he's a very strong winger, tremendous playmaking ability, great skill level in tight. One of the other things that we like most about them is his ability to make plays under pressure and his ability to win pucks, protect pucks when people come after him and he uses his strength and be able to do that."
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The National Hockey League Player’s Association released their survey of nearly 600 NHL players on more than 20 hockey-related questions covering skills, arenas, teams and other less serious items, some of which included members of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Over 40% of players polled voted to be able to express their personalities as goalies do with their masks by painting their skates, and by nearly three-to-one to relax the game day dress code to something similar to the NBA.
Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner finished third in the “best bromance” category behind David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly of the Blues and Joe Thornton and Brent Burns of the Sharks, while the classic Toronto blue and white jersey finished third behind the Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights uniforms.
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