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The injuries and disappointments keep piling up for Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson.
The Leafs announced Monday that the hard-luck winger had season-ending shoulder surgery and will be out for six months. Marlies defenceman Mac Hollowell also underwent surgery for a fractured kneecap and will miss a minimum of 12 weeks.
Robertson hurt his shoulder in a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 8. It was initially hoped surgery could be avoided, with a timeline of six to eight weeks to recover.
He has two goals and three assists in 14 games for the Leafs this season, but has had a hard time staying healthy as a professional:
- In his NHL regular-season debut on Jan. 16, 2021, Senators forward Drake Batherson caught him off balance and Robertson’s knee was driven into the boards. He played only six NHL games that year, plus 21 in the AHL.
- On Oct. 17, 2021, Robertson broke his right fibula in a game against the Manitoba Moose. That limited him to 28 AHL games and 10 NHL games last season.
The younger brother of Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars was a second-round pick by the Leafs in the 2019 draft. He has three goals and four assists in 31 regular-season NHL games.
Nylander back
Despite a good showing with Mitch Marner briefly back on the top line Saturday, William Nylander was reunited with Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting at practice on Monday.
“We’ve had good rhythm with it that way,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “It’s also really good for me to know that that spark is there when I feel we need it and can benefit from it. This look has been good for us, and the players have done well within it. So I don’t think I need to overreact or make too many changes coming out of that game.”
Respect for Panthers
On Tuesday, the Leafs host the Florida Panthers, a team that has surprisingly struggled but shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“They are Presidents’ Trophy winners last year and they haven’t found that same level this season yet,” said Keefe. “They have a lot of those same ingredients that have allowed their team to still look good on paper, look good statistically and look dangerous offensively.
“So there’s lots of reasons for us to continue to be focused on our game and try to build off the positive things that we did the other night in Boston. At the same time, I think we could still find another level to our game, even beyond what we had in Boston. Clearly that one was not quite good enough.”
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