Not sure I love the Kallgren start, but I'll defer to Keefe's feel on this one. He's in the room with the boys, and he has a better idea on if Murr needs a day off or not. Obviously Murr has been great and I'd love to see him kicking tonight, but you cannot argue with his inability to stay healthy long term. No sense running him into the ground. If Keefe feels like he needs an extra couple days rest, I trust that he actually does.
I'm not sure I understand the Robertson scratch for the 4th straight game. Not because I think Nick has 100% earned his name to be in the lineup card every game but more so because I feel like Pierre hasn't done enough either. I don't think having Nick in the press box and not playing in the AHL is as detrimental to his development as people think. If it extends to him being HS'd for like a month with no game action then ya, but sitting for a 10-15 days is not going to do anything other then send a firm and clear message to Nick. Which I believe Nick, and all young players need from time to time.
As much as I want to see Nick in the lineup, his play without the puck needs work. Having him go down to the AHL and having him get to play through his deficiencies away from the puck because he can put the puck in the back of the net is not going to help us at the Maple Leaf level in the immediate or long term. It may help the Marlies because he contributes to the offense, but we need him to be more then just a guy who puts up an occasional goal every 4 games. It's not an indictment of him as a player or prospect. He is still a big part of our future. He just needs to understand that playing sound defensively will lead to more chances offensively. He'll end up playing with the puck more, and he will get more opportunity when he has the full trust of Sheldon.
IMO Sheldon has been relatively fair to Nick this season. When he was the best player on the ice against Dallas, Sheldon wasn't afraid to call his number in OT. He then gave him a shot in the top 6 for a handful of games and he seemed to revert to some of his old bad habits. But he's gotta continue to earn his minutes.
I personally think he should be back in at this point, but I am sure that time is coming soon. I can wait another game or 2. Like I said, I won't consider this to be a big problem for another week or so. We have 6 games in the next 10 days. If he doesn't check into the lineup at some point during that stretch I will consider it a problem. And when he does get into the lineup, it's really going to be up to Nick to prove that he deserves to stay in that lineup.