Photo credit: NHL.com

Auston Matthews noticed a subtle, but significant change to Nicholas Robertson at training camp and believes that’s what helped him make the Leafs’ roster.

On Friday, Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving confirmed in a series of interviews that Robertson made the Leafs’ opening night roster for the first time in his young career.

Robertson was elated when the news was shared following practice Saturday and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Prior to sitting out Saturday’s pre-season finale, Robertson had scored the last five goals for the Leafs. While impressive, the thing that stood out to Leafs’ brass was that he made great defensive plays that led to the goals.

After the final pre-season game on Saturday, Matthews was asked about Robertson’s camp and making the roster, revealing that one subtle change to Robertson’s demeanour helped him.
“He definitely took a step. It is great to see. He is one of the harder workers you’ll see. He cares so much. I just find that he is a little bit more relaxed this year. Sometimes, when you want it so bad, it can almost be counterproductive. He wants it, and he works and competes. I just feel like he has had a bit of a different attitude in a positive way. It has shown in the games he’s played and the way he’s been able to produce. It is great for us as a team to have a guy like him step up. He has had a bit of a bumpy road here and there, but he just continues to stick with it. It is great to see.”
 

Robertson, who scored 14 times in 56 games last season, knows he will have to carry his impressive pre-season over to the regular season, but given Matthews’ assessment, it sounds like it won’t be as much of an issue as in seasons past. Should he continue to impress on the defensive side of the puck, Robertson could play his way into more minutes and maybe a top-six spot. At the very least, it appears we may see him on the penalty kill at times as Craig Berube and Lane Lambert were encouraged by the results during the pre-season.