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Maple Leafs-Red Wings takeaways: Robertson is training camp MVP, Stolarz ready for prime time
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Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Arun Srinivasan
Oct 3, 2024, 22:40 EDTUpdated: Oct 3, 2024, 23:23 EDT
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Nick Robertson simply cannot be stopped.
Robertson scored twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs, leading the team to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. The 23-year-old has scored five consecutive goals for the Maple Leafs and if there was any doubt about his roster spot, you can officially put it to rest.
Anthony Stolarz was also outstanding, recording 30 saves in a shutout victory.
Without further ado, here are three takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 2-0 victory over the Red Wings.

Nick Robertson is Toronto’s training camp MVP

Nick Robertson has scored five goals during the preseason and has made the most of every opportunity during training camp. It’s in everyone’s best interest to have a short memory of Robertson’s summer trade request, it’s old news now. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube believes in Robertson’s skill set and tenacity and it’s paying dividends.
If you want to be eminently cynical, noting that Robertson needs to produce in the regular season, then so be it. You can only play the opponent in front of you and Robertson is scorching opponents throughout the first week of October. Robertson was also used on penalty kill shifts and his defensive work indirectly led the game’s opening goal.
Easton Cowan turned the puck over on the power play and the Red Wings took off on the rush, but Robertson raced back to break up a centring pass, getting his stick in front of Marco Kasper to avert the danger. Robertson then calmly corralled the puck, made an easy outlet pass and Cowan redeemed himself, freezing the defense with a fake-shot, before finding his teammate for the game’s opening goal.
Robertson was an all-around menace Thursday, finishing with a game-high five shots in all situations. If you want to nitpick, Toronto was outshot at 5-on-5 with Robertson on the ice, but the splash plays far outweigh the academic stats, especially during the preseason. We haven’t discussed Robertson in this space extensively throughout the preseason because it seemed like a given that he earned his spot on the team prior to training camp. Robertson has been Toronto’s camp MVP and a new head coach, with an apparent clean slate, appears to be working wonders for the dynamic winger.

Anthony Stolarz is ready for prime time

Joseph Woll appears to be the presumptive starter, but it may be a true tandem scenario for the Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz is ready for prime time. Stolarz made 30 stops in the shutout victory, setting the tone for the Maple Leafs from the game’s opening shift.
Max Pacioretty mishandled a pass from Timothy Liljegren — the fault may lie with Liljegren, but it’s neither here nor there on this sequence, and the puck flung out to Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen in prime position. Stolarz flashed the glove and got a piece of a dangerous shot, that flew harmlessly by.
Stolarz’s best work came against former teammate Vladimir Tarasenko as both players moved on from the Florida Panthers after winning the Stanley Cup last season. With just under seven minutes remaining in the first period, Stolarz proceeded to rob Tarasenko, having some fun in the process.
And he followed up with another terrific save, effectively giving the Maple Leafs some breathing room with a third period lead on the line.
Stolarz was calm, cool, collected and he looks every bit as good as his reputation suggested, joining the Maple Leafs after operating as one of the NHL’s best backup goalies last season. He was outstanding throughout training camp and while Woll will almost certainly start Wednesday night against the Canadiens, Stolarz may push him for a true No. 1 role.

Easton Cowan is growing more confident but is it too little, too late?

We’re not trying to move the proverbial goal posts for Easton Cowan and in many ways, this was his best preseason game. Cowan played in his fifth preseason contest with the Maple Leafs and though it took a while for him to get going, he showed why he’s not far from the roster with his high-end skill set.
At the risk of being reductionist, Cowan’s most obvious flaw is that he needs to add strength as NHL defenders are finding it way too easy to dislodge him, despite his tenacity and competitiveness, which flies off the page. Beyond that, Cowan still appears to be overthinking. He dropped a no-look pass in the neutral zone 11 minutes into the first period, which spurred Detroit’s rush, and his pass to Topi Niemela on the power play was broken up, before Robertson came to the rescue.
Cowan also delivered a beautiful primary assist over to Robertson and he made a number of quick, subtle reads at the point to keep the play alive, particularly on the power play. Here is one example from the second period:
Cowan is Toronto’s top prospect and there was a good case for him to make this year’s roster. You could easily some of his mistakes mitigated if he were to be placed on a line alongside John Tavares and Toronto has so many mentors available to Cowan, if he proved to be one of the 12 most pro-ready players in camp. We’re not writing his chances off entirely, numbers don’t lie, and the quickest pathway to Wednesday’s lineup is to light up the scoresheet. Cowan registered assists in consecutive games. Is it too little, too late, this time around? We’ll find out in the coming days.
Quick hits: 
  • Calle Jarnkrok was quietly stellar in his return from injury, doing all the small things well, keeping plays alive and moving the needle for the Maple Leafs. It would be surprising if he’s moved from the Max Domi-William Nylander line, his original linemates to begin training camp.
  • Marshall Rifai quietly continues to impress and he outplayed his partner, Timothy Liljegren, on Thursday night. Rifai is a longshot to make the Maple Leafs, but he’s arguably the most improved player in camp and you have to wonder if the Leafs have moved him up through their internal depth chart, especially when injuries inevitably seep in during the regular season.
  • Max Pacioretty may have earned his roster spot through the initial days of camp, but it wasn’t his best performance Saturday. Robertson is a lock for opening night but it appears both players have earned their spots and Steven Lorentz may be on the team as one of the healthy scratches Wednesday. This is an educated guess, but all three players — four, if you count Cowan — have moved past Nikita Grebenkin in the power rankings, based on camp impressions alone.
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