Friday Four: How Maple Leafs' Nick Robertson has elevated his game

The Friday Four is a collection of thoughts and information on some intriguing player storylines from around the NHL. On deck this week is:

• Nick Robertson becoming a crucial part of Leafs' roster
• Simon Nemec making huge strides for Devils
• Yaroslav Askarov powering Sharks' surge
• Emil Heineman is found money for Isles

Nick Robertson, Toronto Maple Leafs

Nick Robertson’s answer was simple.

“Ice time.”

That’s what he told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox when asked why he looks like a different player this season. Sure, that’s a big part of it. Before the Leafs were decimated with injuries, Robertson had already earned significant time in the top six and is playing 1:20 more per game than he did last season, with more talented players. Only twice did Robertson play more than 16 minutes in a game last season, but he’s already done it three times in 20 games this year. That has helped Robertson set a pace of 45 points this season, which would smash his previous career high.

But that isn’t the whole story behind Robertson’s metamorphosis.

There are aspects of Robertson’s game that he’s changed to make him tougher to play against and deserving of a bigger role. Prior to this year, you’d often think of Robertson as more of a perimeter player. The quality of his shot is undeniable, and if he gets time and space, he can beat a goaltender from distance, though that’s not a sustainable way to create offence consistently. Robertson needed to get to the net more, and he has. In 2024-25, Robertson had 28 high-danger shots, according to NHL EDGE. These came essentially right from the slot area just outside the blue paint of the crease, and they accounted for just 25 per cent of his total shots on goal. The rest were far lower percentage shots.

This season, though, Robertson is already halfway to that number with 14 high-danger shots, accounting for 38 per cent of his total. Add in four more shots from Robertson right next to the high-danger area, and about 50 per cent of his shots this season have come from in tight near the net.

That’s a big jump from last year. Here are a couple of examples of Robertson getting to tough areas to score:

This play in particular really stands out, as Robertson crashes the net and gets body position on Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Louis Crevier, who at six-foot-eight, is nearly a full foot taller and 50 pounds heavier than Robertson. That’s simply not a battle he would have won, let alone attempted, in past years.

Instead of staying on the perimeter after he passes the puck here, Robertson works towards the front of the net and parks himself in a prime scoring area. It’s an easy finish from there. These spots that Robertson is scoring from are areas he wasn’t comfortable inhabiting before.

In addition to getting to the front of the net more often, Robertson has also improved his puck retrievals and forechecking. Last season, Robertson ranked 10th on the Leafs when it came to chances created off the forecheck, according to Sportsnet Stats. However, in 2025-26, he’s worked his way all the way up to fourth on the team in that category with a more relentless compete level chasing down pucks.

It’s not that Robertson hasn’t scored in the past, as he tallied 29 times over the past two seasons, but timely goals were few and far between. In the second round of the playoffs last spring, Robertson scored a meaningless goal in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers to make it 6-1 with a little over a minute to play. Many noted that it was a typical Robertson goal that didn’t affect the outcome of the game. This season, though, Robertson’s goals have been much more impactful. Four of his five have come with the Leafs down by one, up by one or tied.

It's nothing short of a minor miracle that Robertson’s game is here, even if it hasn’t come in the biggest sample size. The 24-year-old sometimes seems 34 when you consider all he’s been through. He debuted in the bubble in the middle of the pandemic, spent the majority of the next two seasons in the AHL, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, has been a frequent healthy scratch, requested a trade, was banished to the press box in the post-season, and it’s felt like he was destined to be dealt more times than anyone can count. But he’s endured.

Now, Robertson feels much closer to a roster mainstay than someone who’s going to be traded as soon as the Leafs get a good return. That’s not because of Robertson’s production, but rather the other qualities he’s bringing to the table that have been in short supply for the Maple Leafs. Robertson competes, battles for pucks and provides infectious energy, all qualities head coach Craig Berube has desperately been searching for throughout his lineup this season.

He probably never imagined he would find them in Robertson.

Simon Nemec, New Jersey Devils

Among the top-five picks of the 2022 NHL Draft, Simon Nemec has become somewhat of a forgotten man. Juraj Slafkovsky has carved out a good role in Montreal’s top six, Shane Wright looks like he’ll be a solid two-way forward, Logan Cooley recently got a big contract extension and Cutter Gauthier has been filling the net with regularity this season.

However, Nemec is also now starting to make people take notice. The New Jersey Devils defenceman has 12 points in 20 games, which works out to a 50-point pace and something worthy of a second-overall selection on the blue line. That wasn’t always the case with Nemec, though. There have been questions about his game since he entered the NHL, and those came mainly on the defensive end. Nemec perhaps was leaned on too much, too soon by the Devils, as he averaged nearly 20 minutes a night in 60 games as a rookie. That put Nemec at a minus-7 for that season, and he came into this year as a minus-17 player overall.

This season, it’s been a much different story. Nemec is making a huge impact for the Devils and has been explosive at times, boasting a pair of three-point games to his credit. He’s also earning more of head coach Sheldon Keefe’s trust. Nemec has played over 26 minutes three times in November and has averaged over 22 minutes a night this month, all while going plus-seven during that stretch.

New Jersey now suddenly has an embarrassment of riches on the back end, especially offensively. The Devils have Nemec, Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton who can quarterback a power play, with both Nemec and Hamilton as right-handed shots. That gives New Jersey flexibility and maybe some contractual challenges. Hughes and Hamilton are both making $9 million a season, and while Nemec probably won’t command that much, he’ll be in line for a significant raise if he keeps this up. The Devils could ultimately opt to explore moving one of Nemec or Hamilton to fill another roster need and save some cap space.

For now, Nemec has been a huge bright spot on a team that looks like one of the best the East has to offer. And with Jack Hughes out for two months due to an injury, the timing couldn’t be better for Nemec to chip in with a surge of offence.

Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks

Yaroslav Askarov wanted to leave the Nashville Predators to bet on himself. The 23-year-old felt he was ready for NHL competition, but he was stuck behind Juuse Saros in Nashville and had to wait his turn. A move to the San Jose Sharks offered a quicker path to the NHL, albeit if the destination was going to be far more challenging.

The Sharks were in the middle of a rebuild when Askarov joined the team, and they still are. He played just 13 games last season in a really tough spot, as San Jose was the worst team in the league and Askarov was under siege on most nights. Things aren’t really any better this year, as the Sharks aren’t exactly a pillar of defence. They’re allowing the second-most shots per game in the league and have a few inexperienced blueliners on the roster.

To his credit, though, Askarov has been near unbeatable in November. He’s 6-1-0 in six starts with a .957 save percentage and has allowed two goals or fewer in six of seven games. They haven’t been easy games, either. Askarov has faced an average of 33 shots per night this month, and three of those impressive wins have come against Los Angeles, Colorado and Florida. The Avs and Panthers peppered 77 shots combined towards Askarov, and he allowed just three goals over the two contests.

Askarov’s numbers have been excellent, but the thing the Sharks care about most right now is the wins. This is a team that lost its first six games to start the season and the final 11 games of the 2024-25 campaign. Macklin Celebrini has taken a massive leap, and players like Will Smith, Sam Dickinson and Michael Misa give the Sharks plenty of reasons for optimism. But it’s hard to win in this league with quality goaltending, and Askarov is giving San Jose a glimpse of what this team’s ceiling could be when he's on top of his game.

Emil Heineman, New York Islanders

There is excitement on Long Island again.

That’s mainly because of Matthew Schaefer, the 18-year-old defenceman taking the NHL by storm, who may already be a lock for the Calder Trophy. Schaefer has 15 points in 21 games and has the Islanders bright-eyed and full of hope. While Schaefer is the main reason New York fans should be enthusiastic, Emil Heineman has also been a major positive spot this season.

When the Islanders dealt Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens this summer, the main part of the return was a pair of first-round picks. Heineman appeared to be more of a throw-in piece, but he’s been anything but since arriving in New York. The former second-round pick from 2020 had only 10 career goals in 66 games prior to this season, and he’s already notched nine in a month and a half with the Islanders.

That’s landed Heineman a spot on New York’s top line with Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri and given the Isles a huge boost offensively. Last year, the Islanders ranked 27th in goals for per game, and it was one of the biggest reasons they fell short of the playoffs. Now in 2025-26, they’ve jumped all the way up to eighth overall thanks to Schaefer, of course, but there’s no denying Heineman has played a big role in the offensive uptick as well.

I’m not sure the Islanders even knew what they were getting in Heineman, but he’s turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the first quarter of the season.