Daily Faceoff Live: Unstoppable Jason Robertson
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Matt Larkin and Steven Ellis discuss Dallas Stars superstar Jason Robertson’s explosive start to the season and his rise to becoming a lethal NHL goal scorer.
Matt Larkin: Let’s talk about Jason Robertson. Unbelievable, may be the hottest player on the planet right now. 22 goals, Steven, in his last 24 games. So, I want to ask you to fill in the blank: he is a top _____ player in the world right now.
Steven Ellis: He’s top five, 100%. There’s an argument to be made that maybe he’s even in the top three. This is a guy who I wrote earlier this week about how the 2017 Draft was so good for the Dallas Stars. They go out there and get Heiskanen, Oettinger and go out there and get Jason Robertson as your third pick, that’s an unbelievable value. I think there was a lot of concern about his skating and a few other things when he was a junior player but obviously, we saw that the points were there. We knew that if he could channel that energy it would be great because you get a lot of guys who are junior scorers but if you aren’t playing a scoring role in the NHL, the numbers never show up. This is something where he forced himself into a scoring role pretty quickly when he finally cracked the team and obviously we are seeing what he is able to do now. Everything is working for him, he’s putting a ton of pucks into the net, he’s got a great shot, skating was a concern but not anymore, and he’s levelled out there. This is one of the best players in the world right now and the point totals don’t lie.
Matt Larkin: I echo the concerns that I heard about him going into his draft year. I remember taking to scouts and hearing stories that he kind of bombed some of his interviews, and there were questions about his fitness. My point is, nobody could’ve expected what he’s done and if you look at the last 82 games, he has 56 goals and 100 points. He’s the top 5-on-5 scorer per 60 in the NHL and even since the start of his career, only Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have more points per 60. Another mind-blowing stat, he’s averaging 5:13 less ice time than Connor McDavid, five minutes, Steven, and he is still right there neck and neck with the scoring race. The point is, I agree with you. Maybe he’s not in that McDavid, Matthews, Makar tier, but he’s right below, top five.
You can watch the full episode here…