The holiday season continues to roll on, and this season Matthew Robertson has been a gift for the New York Rangers that no expected them to unwrap. It seemed like Robertson's time to shine would never come, and it appears he's just the latest example of the old adage of good things coming to those who wait.
Matthew Robertson has embraced the opportunity given to him
Robertson was selected in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, and he finally made his NHL debut last season. He made the main roster out of training camp, seemingly as an extra, and he's become a fixture on Mike Sullivan's bottom pairing. Robertson is logging just 15:59 a night in a somewhat sheltered role, but the 6'4" blueliner from Edmonton makes the most of the opportunities presented to him.
Per Evolving-Hockey, Robertson has logged 427 minutes at 5v5 for the Blueshirts and has a 45.99 GF%, a 49.83 CF%, and a 51.1 xGF%. These are decent numbers, but what's even more impressive is how he has stepped up since Adam Fox went down with an injury.
Robertson has logged 170 minutes at 5v5 during the month of December, and in that span has a 65.19 GF%, a 55.24 CF%, and a 57.25 xGF%. He's been on the ice for just 1.46 goals against per 60 minutes, and that's a welcome development for the team. He's also scored two goals and added four assists for six points in 30 games, and it's honestly more than anyone would have expected from him.
While this is not intended to be a direct comparison, he's provided quite the value when you take a look at what the Carolina Hurricanes have gotten out of a former Blueshirts rear guard. K'Andre Miller is averaging 22:31 a night through 29 games, and he's also scored twice and added 11 assists for 13 points. That the raw point totals are as close as they are with Miller skating over six minutes more per game is an efficient bit of business for the Rangers. It would be great if Robertson could end up being a similar player as Miller, but for now they will take what they can get.
With a lot of uncertainty surounding the future of this roster, it is good that the Rangers have seemingly found someone who can be a mainstay. The next step in his development will seeing how he reacts to higher leverage situations and additional minutes, and maybe he will get a shot in the top six later on in the year if pending free agents like Carson Soucy were to be moved if the team remains out of a playoff spot.
Time will tell if this comes to pass, but fans have got to be thankful to have Robertson in the fold, and it is nice to see that he's been able to join the team and contribute in a way that no one could have foreseen heading into this season.