Beginning Aug. 28, lohud.com and the USA TODAY Network will release our fifth annual ranking of the top 10 prospects in the New York Rangers’ organization.
These prospect profiles, with one set to be revealed each weekday through Sept. 8, are based on conversations with over 20 sources in total. They include coaches, trainers and executives who have worked closely with these young players, pro and amateur scouts from around the world and many of the prospects themselves. Any players who are eligible for the Calder Trophy − 25 or younger and have not played more than 25 NHL games in a season, nor six or more games in any two preceding seasons − are up for consideration.
The trajectory of Matthew Robertson has reached a critical juncture.
A second-round draft pick in the 2019, he’s still searching for his first NHL opportunity.
The physical tools that enticed the New York Rangers to use a top-50 selection on the left-handed defenseman remain, but the wait for it all to click is ongoing.
“It’s been slower than expected,” said one scout from another NHL team. “He’s 6-4 and that good of a skater, but the development has slowed. I think part of it is his injuries; part of it is his sense. I wish he would have been pigeonholed better in that defensive defenseman, big-man role.”
As Robertson prepares to enter the final season of his entry-level contract, questions about his path forward linger.
The 22-year-old has fallen behind a handful of young defensemen in the organizational pecking order, with Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider already established as regulars in the Rangers’ lineup and fellow 2019 pick Zac Jones surpassing him as next in line.
That logjam has stopped Robertson in his tracks and allowed doubts about his future to creep in.
“When you get kind of stuck, you lose your confidence a little bit,” one Northeast scout said. “Maybe it seems like the organization’s down on you. You see guys like Jones kind of going ahead of you. It can be tough.”
Some scouts point to processing and decision-making at NHL speed as one of the areas that’s held the Edmonton native back, while others want to see him throw his 6-foot-4, 211-pound frame around with more authority.
“I don’t think that’s ever really been part of his game,” the Northeast scout said. “He’s not a super gritty guy.”
Kris Knoblauch, who has coached Robertson the past two seasons with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, summed it up this way during a December chat with lohud.com: “The consistency part is probably the biggest thing.”
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At the time, Knoblauch expressed optimism about the direction he was heading, noting, “We’ve relied on him quite heavily – he’s been on the power play almost every single game and penalty kill every time – and the consistency has been much, much better. You can see that he’s understanding the program.” But momentum halted when a March injury forced Robertson out of the Hartford lineup for the remainder of the season.
He finished with 23 points (five goals and 18 assists) in 57 AHL games played and did not appear in any playoff contests, nor did he ever receive the NHL call from the big club.
“I mean, they’re going for the (Stanley) Cup,” an executive from a rival team said of the Rangers. “They’re not in trial-and-error mode. They’re the opposite of development mode right now. They’re not there to test drive kids. It’s a product of where he’s at, what organization he’s playing for and what their goals are.”
It would come as no surprise if Robertson ends up on the trade block, much like another recent Blueshirts’ D prospect, Nils Lundkvist. Team president Chris Drury would be hard-pressed to match the first-round pick he received from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Lundkvist last year, but there would surely be some interest in a player with the size and mobility many teams covet.
Then again, that may be the reason to hold onto him.
One scout likened it to the situation with Ryan Graves, who has a similar skill set and turned into a valuable commodity after the Rangers sold low on him back in 2018. He took off following a trade to Colorado and was rewarded this summer with a six-year, $27 million contract from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“People were talking about Graves in the same way as people are kind of seeing Robertson, and then Graves got thrown away for the same reasons,” the scout said. “But 6-5 guys who can skate and who are long, they’re hard to find. So, I think there’s a danger in throwing this guy away, because those type of guys, they come back (to haunt you).”
Another scout noted that Graves displayed more of a physical edge in his game at the time of his trade, while Robertson profiles as a slightly better “puck-mover.” But they concurred about the comparability between the two.
The larger point is that there’s ample time for Robertson to change the narrative, but whether he gets that chance in New York or elsewhere remains to be seen.
“I’m trying to be a good defensive force out there, make smart plays and eliminate those little mistakes,” he said prior to his most recent injury. “I’m definitely more confident in my game out there – puck decisions, my defensive ability, closing gaps a little bit quicker. There’s still a lot to improve, but I’m building my game each day.”
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Matthew Robertson: NY Rangers prospect No. 8 in our rankings
