2. Is it the season Nicolas Robertson can he establish himself in the NHL?
The Maple Leafs certainly hope so, but the 20-year-old forward will first need to stay healthy to get there.
Selected in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Robertson led the Ontario Hockey League in goals with 55 for Peterborough in 2019-20. But then the injuries started. Early in the 2020-21 season, he suffered a knee injury with Toronto of the American Hockey League that kept him out of the lineup for four weeks. In the second game of the 2021-22 AHL season, he suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula and was out for almost four months.
He returned to a point per game average for the remainder of the AHL season, with 28 (16 goals, 12 assists) in 28 games. He’s a natural goalscorer who has the potential to one day be a top-six regular, but it remains to be seen if he achieves that.
3. Can Timothy Liljegren continue his development to become a potential first pair defender?
The 23-year-old had a breakout season in 2021-22 with NHL career highs in games played (65), goals (five), assists (18) and points (23), and took his game to another level in the final. six weeks on a pair with veteran trade deadline acquisition Mark Giordano.
It was a welcome sight for the Maple Leafs, who selected Liljegren 17th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft and patiently waited for improvement. Over the previous four seasons, he had one assist in 13 career NHL games and left management wanting more. Last season, they finally got it, leaving Giordano, the 2019 Norris Trophy winner voted the NHL’s best defenseman, lured by Liljegren’s learning curve.
“For a young guy, he has a lot of poise with the puck and he makes really, really good decisions,” Giordano said. “You don’t really realize how complete his game is on television. I found him really impressive. I was really impressed with his positioning and all the little plays he makes.”
