Inside the Leafs' Line Shuffle: Why Nick Robertson's Top-Line Promotion Has Everyone Talking

Nick Robertson drew back into the Leafs' lineup on Saturday night after being a healthy scratch for Friday's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

In his return, the 24-year-old scored the opening marker for the Leafs, while skating on the top line with Auston Matthews and Bobby McMann.

William Nylander, who missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, returned to practice on Monday. In his return, Nylander rotated through the top line instead of Robertson being bumped down the lineup.

Whether Robertson was acting as a placeholder for Nylander to ease him back into practice remains to be seen, but given his play so far this season, Robertson will likely get another opportunity on the Leafs' top line.

Despite hearing his name in trade rumours for the better part of the past year and a half, the California native has done nothing but work extremely hard to prove he belongs in the Leafs' lineup daily.

While he has just a goal and an assist through 8 games this season, Robertson's improved defensive play has drawn praise from head coach Craig Berube and even earned him some penalty killing opportunities.

His promotion to the top line has raised some questions about the reasoning behind the shift. Part of it is due to the injuries to the Leafs' forward group, but many believe that the Leafs may be showcasing him to facilitate a trade and land a true top-six forward in the process.

However, if he can show the improvements consistently, he may internally help the Leafs solve their issue of needing another top-six forward.