Now on Toronto’s top line, Robertson had nine points in his previous nine games heading into Tuesday night against St. Louis.
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Nine points in his past nine games.
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As solid as the run has been for Maple Leafs winger Nick Robertson, he’s not making any assumptions.
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“It’s nice to be a contributor, but honestly, the in-and-out (of the Leafs lineup) is never out of my mind,” Robertson said. “The puck is going in and the effort is there, which I’m happy about, but I don’t want to be complacent.
“I have to be good in practice, good in my routines and preparing myself for games.”
During a quarter-season in which the Leafs haven’t managed to get on the same page with each other, Robertson has been able to put aside earlier trade talk and keep his head above water.
Just once has Robertson been scratched, on Oct. 24 in Buffalo against the Sabres. He returned to the lineup the following night versus the Sabres and scored (following a regular pattern for him) and after he did not figure in the scoring against Calgary on Oct. 28, he started the streak he is on now.
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Cementing a spot
Considering the Leafs’ injuries and lack of consistent production from forwards such as Max Domi, Matias Maccelli and Bobby McMann, trading Robertson would be foolish.
At the same time, the 24-year-old is performing at a level that demonstrates he should be in the lineup when (or if) there’s a full complement of healthy forwards.
“In Toronto, that’s just the nature of the city and the culture,” Robertson said of the trade speculation that has died down. “I’ve heard trade rumours since the day I stepped foot in Toronto. I don’t even think about it.”
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Heading into the Leafs home game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, Robertson was seventh in team scoring with 11 points in 18 games.
As coach Craig Berube tries to find the proper forward mix with captain Auston Matthews, Scott Laughton and Nicolas Roy injured, Robertson isn’t about to fritter away a chance to play on the top line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
“I have to earn my spot to play with guys like JT and Willie,” Robertson said. “I’ve seen in this business that anything can happen, guys are playing a lot of minutes, and the next thing you know, they’re not playing.
“That’s in my mind, to keep pushing, keep working. It’s always the same.”
tkoshan@postmedia.com
X: @koshtorontosun
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