Craig Berube's Comments on Nick Robertson Could Quietly Boost His Trade Value
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
After Toronto's OT win over Buffalo on Saturday, Craig Berube was in high spirits, and had a lot of praise for Nick Robertson, who ended up playing a key role in the game.
Finally, the Maple Leafs are back in the win column.
Although it wasn't the easiest game for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, they managed to claw their way to a 4-3 OT win over the Buffalo Sabres to get back in the win column once again, and did so without top scorer William Nylander.
Aided by John Tavares' 499th career goal in the extra frame, it was finally something to smile about when it comes to the Maple Leafs.
One person who is more than elated that the team picked things up was head coach Craig Berube, who finally got his team back on track.
Berube Praises Robertson's Energy and Impact in Win
One player that he singled out for having a strong game was Nick Robertson, who came back after being a healthy scratch.
Praising the oft-maligned forward, it was all positives for Robertson, who finally broke through and grabbed his first goal of the year:
Robbie did a good job. I thought he added energy to that line with his speed, and ended up scoring a big goal for us, which is great.
That line in question was the top line alongside Auston Matthews. While the captain didn't have an amazing game, Robertson was able to give them relentless energy and was able to pressure and pester Buffalo in their zone.
Fans Believe the Leafs May Be Showcasing Robertson
He was solid, with his one shot going in, and adding two hits. But it feels like perhaps this is Toronto's way of getting his stock to shoot up ahead of a trade.
For a player who is constantly on the chopping block, it was great to see he hasn't given up on the team nor his ability to produce.
This was a perfect chance for the team to show what Robertson can do in a top-six role, and though it is a sample size, there is no denying he made that line look better overall than it maybe should have.
Granted, it's going to take a lot more than one goal in one game to make his stock any higher, but with a very low bar already, the only way to go is up. There's a good chance that if he ends up playing well enough, then making a deal for him and potentially a more reliable scorer; is easier.
He is going to be a fairly cheap cost, and Toronto isn't shy about trading upstart players for veteran help and given he's wanted out before, maybe he's doing his best to play himself out of the city.
But regardless of what happens in the future, we finally got a good game out of Nick Robertson, and that's a victory in and of itself.
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