The Maple Leafs’ Nick Robertson won’t be the last man standing but he’ll be close

There is a time-honoured tradition at every Maple Leafs game: Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are the last players to leave the ice after the pre-game warm-up.

They’ve been joined this season by another lingerer: Nick Robertson.

“I was last off in Peterborough,” Robertson said of his junior days. “Here, it’s different. So I can’t be that. But I like staying out there, getting as many touches as possible. It’s just a habit I have.”

There is a time-honoured tradition at every Maple Leafs game: Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are the last players to leave the ice after the pre-game warm-up.

They’ve been joined this season by another lingerer: Nick Robertson.

Robertson doesn’t stay out quite as long as the other two, but certainly longer than the rest, and in a way it’s a sign of how comfortable the 22-year-old is in his first real full season with the Leafs.

After many stops and starts, beginning with the qualifying-round series that followed a COVID pause in 2020, Robertson finally looks like he’s landed a regular spot in the lineup.

His speed, skill and scoring touch give the third line, with Max Domi and Calle Järnkrok, a bit of an offensive flair.

“We’re playing fast,” Robertson said. “I think (we’re) being consistent with our speed and what our strengths are. And I’m fortunate to be on the same line and to be in the lineup as consistently as I am. So you just keep on from there.”

The Leafs’ bottom two lines have long felt like a work in progress. The third line struggles defensively with giveaways and is not always trusted late in periods when the team is nursing a lead.

David Kämpf is a reliable checking centre on the fourth line. Bobby McMann is learning his way as a first-year player. Ryan Reaves is in and out of the lineup with injuries and inconsistent play. Noah Gregor feels like a real find.

The team typically picks up a winger or two at the trade deadline to flesh it out. That will probably be the case again this season but, for now, coach Sheldon Keefe is content with what he has.

“We’ve been getting lots from those guys,” Keefe said. “The confidence in those groups has increased over time, to be able to play them at different times against other teams’ better players.”

In recent games against the Rangers, New York coach Peter Laviolette did everything he could to get his top lines away from the Leafs’ top lines and out against the Domi and Kämpf lines. Keefe usually likes to match lines, best against best and down from there.

Whenever you’re playing up an opponent that does such a thing, you’re forced into either disrupting the rhythm of your best people or you go with some of those matchups,” Keefe said. “Then you have to trust your bottom-six guys to play against some of the opposition’s best people. And I felt more confident doing that here of late.”

The result with the Rangers? Each team won a game. But Keefe also learned a thing or two about his role players.

“I think for the most part, we’ve been happy with what we’ve got from those guys,” he said.

But it still can be a struggle. Robertson played a season-low 7:20 in the Leafs’ 4-1 win over Columbus, a sign that Keefe was not particularly happy. He had fretted earlier Saturday that the Domi line had been trending in the wrong direction.

It was Robertson’s 20th straight game since he was recalled Nov. 6. Those are the most games he has played in the NHL in any season. His previous high was 15 last season.

His inability to stay in the lineup was partly due to repeated injuries but there were also times he was simply not good enough. He spent a lot energy but accomplished very little.

But experience is kicking in. He’s more relaxed, more comfortable that he’s an NHL regular.