Popular NHL commentator calls on Maple Leafs to waive Nick Robertson after horrible mistake last night

Injuries are already piling up around the NHL preseason, and the Toronto Maple Leafs dodged a bit of a bullet. Star forward William Nylander was forced out of the first period of a game against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a knee to the head on a play that was entirely avoidable. After all, teammate Nick Robertson had merely attempted to slingshot Nylander forward with a stick push, a common enough NHL play. Still, given it's only pre-season, some wondered whether Robertson should have kept his stick to himself.

Former NHL defenseman Jordan Schmaltz chimed in on the play with a tweet. Schmaltz appeared to acknowledge that it was evident what Robertson was attempting, but he stated that the scenario didn't warrant that. In preseason affairs with less at stake, injury risk should always be minimal, and in that case it was an unnecessary one, per Schmaltz.

Fortunately, it was fortunate that the head coach of the Maple Leafs, Craig Berube, revealed that Nylander seemed fine and all things were normal, with nothing to worry about. However, the incident brought into light just how fragile head injuries are in hockey. There are atrocities from knees to the head; as Schmaltz said, while this slingshot method is good, it has to be carried out with caution and at the right time.

The Los Angeles Kings may be without veteran defenseman Drew Doughty for an extended period after he badly injured himself colliding into the boards. Injury to NHL stars such as Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson, and Ilya Sorokin also prevented them from playing in games due to their injuries during and even before the preseason period, which raises concerns about the various injuries all over the league.

This brings up the ongoing debate about whether the NHL preseason should be condensed or even scrapped altogether. With teams relying as heavily on their stars, like the Maple Leafs, losing key players in preseason games can derail a whole season before it's even gotten started. After that scare, though, Nick Robertson made amends by scoring the game-winning goal to redeem himself, but the incident brings up the issue of finding a delicate balance between getting ready and the safety of players.