The Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson nearly parted ways over the summer.
In fact, at one point, he nearly became a member of the Seattle Kraken in a trade before the Stars and Robertson agreed on a new one-year contract.
That just delayed the drama to come, though. A one-year deal was a Band-Aid, nothing more.
Soon, the Stars will again have to figure out what to do with Robertson, and the latest update from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun suggests some doubt about what might come next.
Jason Robertson Update
The first thing to know is that even if the Stars and Robertson both wanted to sign an extension right now, it couldn’t happen yet.
“Robertson can’t sign a new deal until January, per the collective bargaining agreement, after signing a one-year, $12 million deal to remain with the Stars in the summer,” LeBrun writes. “GM Jim Nill hopes to get talks going again in mid- to late December.”
That timeline then creates the question — would Robertson gain anything by signing in January?
“My guess is Robertson and his camp, led by agent Andy Scott, may prefer to wait until after the season to have a full understanding of the NHL marketplace and landscape,” LeBrun writes. “There would be more big contracts around the league that provide more information.”
LeBrun does write one line that Stars fans should appreciate: “I do think Robertson wants to stay in Dallas.”
The question in LeBrun’s analysis is all really about what might happen in the interim, and how that could affect Robertson’s choice.
Jason Robertson Alternatives
LeBrun was just trying to make a point, but he wonders about what it would look like if Connor McDavid chose to leave the Edmonton Oilers.
“Anyway, just for argument’s sake — as highly unlikely as it is that Dallas would extend Robertson and then trade him — what if Connor McDavid, for whatever reason, wanted out of Edmonton next summer and put Dallas on his list?” LeBrun writes. “Doesn’t that change everything for the Stars?”
His point is this — both sides have a reason to be patient.
Robertson is going to get a humongous payday when the time comes, whether from Dallas or another team. But doing a deal in January may not be the best outcome for anyone.
“In the meantime, if Robertson remains unsigned ahead of the March 1 trade deadline, it puts Dallas in a tricky situation, as the Stars are once again Cup contenders and I’m not sure how much sense it makes to trade a star player when you’re trying to win this season, even if it potentially means losing him for nothing July 1,” LeBrun writes. “So even if he’s still unsigned, I can’t see Robertson going anywhere before the March 1 deadline.”
All Robertson can do at this point is keep pouring in goals and proving that when the time comes, he deserves a contract that approaches record-setting numbers.
Stars’ Jason Robertson Future Given Reality Check