Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube airs clear message to Nick Robertson after healthy scratch in Leafs vs Penguins

Nick Robertson was a healthy scratch for the Toronto Maple Leafs during their 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. After requesting a trade in the offseason, Robertson signed a one-year deal to return to Toronto but has not been playing well. Coach Craig Berube sat him out for the third period on Saturday after a dismal showing against the Washington Capitals.

Berube then removed him from the lineup for Sunday's matchup. This came after Robertson played less than 10 minutes and only saw two shifts in the third period in the loss to the Capitals.

According to a Maple Leafs news account on X, Berube said of the left winger:

“He just has to play better. That’s it. We all know that. I talked to him today about it. We’ll figure it out. It’s my job and the coaching staff’s job to help him. It’s his job to find a way to play better hockey. He’s capable of it. He has ability — speed, a good shot. We have to find a way to get him going.”

These losses dropped the Maple Leafs (16-9) to second in the Atlantic Division.

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Nick Robertson addressed breaking out of slump

This season, Nick Robertson is not playing all that well. However, the Maple Leafs winger eventually broke out of his slump, but it didn't last very long.

Robertson broke a 13-game scoring drought with a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 1. It came after he skipped the optional morning skate, which he rarely does.

Via The Hockey News earlier this week, he said:

"Maybe switch it up a little bit. I was open to anything. I thought it was necessary. My legs weren’t feeling great for some reason, so we took it off. We'll see how the next one goes."

Nick Robertson has struggled this year (Imagn)

Robertson has fallen back into a slump and it has resulted in minimal playing time over the last two games, so he may need to go back to the well and switch things up again.