The 21-year-old forward will play in Traverse City for the third time, hoping to demonstrate his ability to remain healthy and create momentum ahead of the opening of Leafs training camp next week in order to make a case for a spot on the NHL team in his third professional season.
I’ve been off for about three months, and I definitely want to be in game form when it counts, going to preseason and then camp with the Leafs. On Wednesday, Robertson spoke at the Ford Performance Centre. This is another chance for me to gain some game repetitions and get back into it.
I’m sure in myself that I can play with the Leafs, and we’ll see how it goes, Robertson. I was in the same circumstance last year and was wounded again, so you could say I reset last year and was injured again.
The challenge for Robertson is determining where he may fit into the big club. With his scoring winger skill set, he would likely fit on the top two lines with Auston Matthews or John Tavares, but both left-wing positions are taken by Calder Trophy finalist Michael Bunting and veteran Alex Kerfoot.
With both entering the final year of their contracts, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas may be watching Robertson’s performance in the AHL and considering bringing him up as a waiver-exempt player during the season in the hopes that he has enough success to stay in the NHL and gives Toronto some options heading into the trade deadline.