Prospect Info: Matthew Robertson, LD, 2nd round, 49th overall, 2019

[AIexisLafreniereNYR]

Marc Staal 2.0? And not the one we know right now.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Well this kid looks to be an awesome pick. Big and mobile defense first D. Very happy.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I hope you are being sarcastic. AV valued defensive, physical defenseman as pieces of garbage. Thus why our defense became an embarrassment under him.

Yandle got 3rd pairing minutes and Girardi constantly got 20+ a night really sums up how AV used defensemen here

 

[Polar Bear]

Please, no ruining this kid's thread with the stupidity of AV.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Marc Staal 2.0? And not the one we know right now.

Nope, that was Zborovskiy.

 

[Rangerfan4life90]

Think the Rangers would have drafted him at 20 if they still had the Winnipeg pick?

 

[charliemurphy]

Love this pick.

 

[bl02]

I mean this is one LHD prospect I definitely don't mind taking a gamble on. Size and can play in his own zone

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Nope, that was Zborovskiy.

You mean the P4P best defensive prospect on earth according to head scout/poster PB?

 

[Joey Bones]

This is a great value pick by NYR. Lots are saying this is a safe pick for NYR and I think that is accurate.

 

[mike14]

Stoked to wake up and see this pick, thought he'd go at the end of the 1st. From what I've seen and read of him he sounds like about as much as a 'sure-fire' NHLer as you can get at draft time, it's just a question of whether he can develop into a real minute-eating top 4 guy or a just a lower tier D-man.

 

[Mikos87]

I ranked him at 31, and he was a lot higher at points in the draft. To me this is a very safe pick, and excellent value at 49. If you get 2 NHLers in one draft, you did well, and if you get a 3rd, then that's even better. I think Robertson gives the Rangers 2 NHLers this draft without a big question mark.

Here's what I think you are getting:

• A stable 5v5 defenseman that is going to play on the bottom pair
• Solid positional defenseman with great fundamentals
• Very little risk to his game
• A top PK option that can eat 1:30 on every PK
• A smart decision maker who will play the puck in the right areas of the ice
• Going to push for a spot on the WJC-20 team this year, but might not play till next
• Will play two more years of Junior and get high profile minutes
• Going to play in the AHL for 1-2 seasons before getting a look

What's great about this pick is that his strengths align with the Rangers timing, by the time he's ready, the Rangers should have an established top-4 that is eating 45-50 a night.

All in all this was a very smart team building pick. When Robertson is ready the Rangers defense should be able to sell-off Skjei and insert Robertson by 2023, or Robertson becomes a valuable trade chip before then because of the Rangers depth on defense.

 

[Machinehead]

This is why Gorton is a genius and AV was a moron. This stupid mentality that defenseman have to get points is idiotic. Teams that win cups keep the puck out of their net. This kid from scouting reports should have gone top 20. Gorton once again is magical. While the team is stacked on the left side. In 4-5 years my guess is Skjei will be moved for picks and he will slide right in.

AV hates offensive defensemen. In fact, AV hates skilled players in general.

No idea where the notion comes from that AV is a finesse coach.

 

[Zibanejbread]

Can he be a less-offensive, discount version of Parayko?

 

[eco's bones]

Arguably 1st round worthy--somewhere around the 7th-8th best defenseman in the draft. Not going to lie I would have taken Dorofeyev with this pick but even so we couldn't have made any better of a defense pick than Robertson here so I was pleased. It's a comparable pick in my eyes to Tampa's pick of Hajek a couple years ago. I expect him to be a legit top 4 D. So good pick.

 

[Thirty One]

Can he be a less-offensive, discount version of Parayko?

Parayko was Red Line Report's style comparison.

 

[DanielBrassard]

Parayko was Red Line Report's style comparison.

Would be incredible if that happens. Seems the perfect fit for what we have on the RD side.

 

[Lion Hound]

Is pre-injury Staal a good comparison?

I compared him to Staal in my mock on the draft thread. Why is did that was his stick, and his gap and his defensive positioning.

I mocked him at 24 to the Preds.

Love the pick as a 2nd rounder as I think it's great value.

 

[bl02]

How’s this for our defense 2-3 years from now...
Trouba/Skjei
Miller/Fox or Nils
Robertson/ADA or Fox
and I’m having hard time figuring out spots for guys like Hajek, Rykov Keane and Lindgren. I guess if a guy like Hajek or Rykov establish themselves Skjei could be moved.
Robertson with his style and size is a perfect fit. He can fit into bottom 4 pairing perfectly

 

[Good Intentions]

Parayko was Red Line Report's style comparison.

THN gives Trouba as a best case comp for Robertson. This is very nice.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Parayko was Red Line Report's style comparison.

Where did RLR have him ranked?

 

[Thirty One]

Where did RLR have him ranked?

18.

They had two mocks, one going 24 to Nashville and one 27 to Tampa. On the Tampa one it says it would be one of the biggest heists of the drafts if they got him there.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

18.

They had two mocks, one going 24 to Nashville and one 27 to Tampa. On the Tampa one it says it would be one of the biggest heists of the drafts if they got him there.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

 

[Greg02]

He looks way more excited to meet you than you do to meet him.