Losses are piling up, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are experimenting. Just last night, Calle Jarnkrok started on the second line, as Nick Robertson watched from the press box. Pontus Holmberg went from a second-line winger to a fourth liner.
With their complete lack of secondary scoring, it’s a given that head coach Craig Berube is looking for missing puzzle pieces. The Maple Leafs have been looking for these answers for years, but this seems to be the best shape the bottom-six has been in for a while.
But I have my doubts.
If we look at last night’s bottom-six, here are their goal totals this season:
Bobby McMann: 17 (mostly while in the top-six)
Scott Laughton: 11 (four in one game)
Max Domi: 4
Steven Lorentz: 5
David Kampf: 4
Pontus Holmberg: 6
I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty scary to me! Especially with Bobby McMann presumably moving back into the top-six at some point.
So, if the bottom-six can’t score, why is Nick Robertson not playing? He’s been much better lately, can score more efficiently than any of his competition, and still has room to grow.
So, why not?
Nick Robertson is not a fourth-liner. He’s not a checker, he’s not a defender, and he can’t play with David Kampf and Steven Lorentz. For some reason, Berube tried it against the Colorado Avalanche, and it went horribly (of course).
So really, his only shot in the lineup is on the second or third line. For now, Calle Jarnkrok is getting a shot with John Tavares and William Nylander, but again, we’ve seen this before.
With the newly acquired Scott Laughton pencilled in on the third line, and Bobby McMann having earned a permanent spot somewhere in the top-nine, Robertson’s direct competition seems to be Max Domi.
And don’t get me started about Max Domi.
A McMann–Laughton–Robertson line seems plenty fine, especially compared to McMann–Laughton–Domi.
Craig Berube has a type, and so does Brad Treliving. Nick Robertson is not it. He’s undersized and not a great defender. But just because he doesn’t fit the exact archetype they prefer doesn’t mean he hasn’t earned more of a shot.
His recent play
Especially in the last couple of weeks, Robertson has been so much better. He scored three goals in February, and has just one assist so far in March, but it’s his play without the puck that’s noticeably improved.
First of all, he’s actually checking. He’s had a ton of trouble staying on his feet in his short NHL career, but you can tell he’s put work into improving his balance, and it’s worked.
His stick has always been decent, he’s just been unable to get in the right spots to use it. He’s been really battling in the new year, and his focus has shifted from all offence to a team-oriented approach.
But he still has his wicked shot, that’s beaten goalies cleanly, and he’s taking almost two shots a game over his last seven.
At the end of the day, Robertson is an offensive threat. If his defence continues to improve, he’s going to be a good player. And it feels like the organization knows this, as they kept him through the trade deadline. He clearly has room to grow, but he’s shown he can do it. Why take a guy out of the lineup just as he seems to be catching his stride?
The offensive game
The main reason Robertson should be in the lineup is just the offence. The Leafs have just about zero scoring threats from their bottom-six (again,) and he provides a spark.
Even in a down year, where he hasn’t played every game, his numbers are better than the rest of Team B.
What has been the Leafs biggest problem in every one of their playoff losses? Secondary scoring? What does Nick Robertson provide? You guessed it: secondary scoring.
What does no one else in the bottom-six provide? If you said secondary scoring, you’d be correct.
It’s really not rocket science. The guy who helps the team overcome their greatest weakness should be in the lineup, period. Especially if it means replacing Max Domi.
I love Will Fisher