Matt Robertson’s long-awaited Rangers future finally could be here

He first stepped onto the ice wearing Rangers regalia at the club’s 2019 development camp conducted at Chelsea Piers in Stamford while the Tarrytown training facility was undergoing a renovation.

Matt Robertson was strutting his stuff after having been a second-round draft choice, selected 49th overall after the club had taken Kaapo Kakko second overall. He was on the ice with, among others, Kakko; incoming defensemen Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller; and future goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

Five years later, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound defenseman is back again. Five years later, now 23, Robertson is still looking to make his NHL debut . It is extremely unusual for a North American player going through the CHL route to take five years to make his big-league debut and make the team— and it would be unprecedented within the Rangers organization— but that will be merely a footnote if Robertson sticks.

Not all players adhere to the same timetable. Robertson has played 190 AHL games. The Islanders’ Scott Mayfield played 223 games in the AHL while his teammate, Ryan Pulock, played 163 games with Bridgeport. It took until age 26 for Taylor Fritz to reach his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open.

Injuries may have been part of the factor holding back Robertson, but No. 44 revealed he had worked with a mental skills coach this summer in order to address confidence issues he has encountered through his career.

“I really worked on the mental side of the game this summer, try to improve that,” the Edmonton native said. “I think that was probably the biggest thing holding me back, just my mental psyche, being confident and consistent each day.

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“I’m just staying dialed in each day, each practice, each rep, building my confidence each day, as well. I started working with a mental coach a bit. I’m looking forward to how it pans out this year.”

You know which other defenseman also made his quasi-Ranger debut at the 2019 development camp? Yegor Rykov, who was going to be quite the steal after he’d been acquired in the Michael Grabner 2018 purge deal with the Devils. So by comparison, it could have gone much worse for the organization and Robertson.

Still, it’s five years. Robertson is one of five of the first 50 selections of his draft year not yet to have made his debut, with Carolina’s Ryan Suzuki at 28th overall the highest selected of the group. There is a reminder, though, none has reached his 24th birthday.

“I’m just trying to come in and play the best version of myself,” Robertson said. “I’m not worried about other guys right now.

“I think for me, just trying to improve and take a step forward each day and worry about my game. Bring my best game.”

Projecting the Rangers opening night roster before a potentially busy season of changes

If it’s unusual for a player such as Robertson to make his NHL debut five years later, it’s not necessarily commonplace for an organization to qualify a 23-year-old coming off of entry level that was spent entirely in the AHL. This could not have been a slam-dunk decision.

“Honestly, I wasn’t too sure at the end of the year,” Robertson said. “I didn’t know, but I also didn’t really think too much about it, but then they reached out to my agent and went from there.”

The reward/risk is off the charts, Robertson in for a one-year, two-way deal under which he would earn $775,000 in New York and $80,000 on the AHL level. The Rangers don’t necessarily have a pipeline flowing with young, 6-4 lefty defensemen. Yes, 23 is still young. Very young. The Rangers don’t necessarily have teeming depth on either side of the blue line.

Miller, Ryan Lindgren and Zac Jones have locks on the left side with Fox, Braden Schneider and Jacob Trouba locks on the right.

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Chad Ruhwedel, the righty acquired at the deadline from Pittsburgh who got into five games with the Blueshirts, probably has a leg up for the seventh spot but I don’t think the hierarchy would be upset if Robertson could challenge for the spot.

Ben Harpur, Connor Mackey and Brandon Scanlin are also candidates. This, too: Their most top-end left D in the system, BC’s Drew Fortescue, is probably three years away from having a chance to make the NHL.

The organization’s most top-end right D in the system, E.J. Emery, is starting his freshman year at North Dakota after being drafted 30th overall this June.

Depth — or lack thereof — in the organization will inform the hierarchy’s decision on Lindgren, who is working on a one-year contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

If Robertson could pop, and that would have to be considered a long shot at this point, GM Chris Drury would be in a better position to make the call on Lindgren.

That’s a long view of it. For Robertson, though, it’s about one day at a time.

“I’m coming here trying to make the team out of camp, just playing my best and putting my best foot forward every day,” Robertson said. “I’ll try and get better each day, build on each day and keep my confidence high.”

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