There have been many storylines to watch this off-season in the National Hockey League, and after a stellar, unpredictable draft, some shock trades and a busy free agency period, at this point, absolutely anything could happen.
Things are far from over, and with two days remaining on the seven-day period for the Anaheim Ducks to match the offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, things could get even crazier moving forward. The other big storyline in the NHL this summer has been the future of Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, and now, it appears as though those two storylines could become connected in the coming days.
Anaheim Ducks Linked to Jason Robertson
GettyJason Robertson of the Dallas Stars.
While many believe Robertson was in danger of an offer sheet this summer, he has filed for arbitration, meaning that now he is ineligible to sign an offer sheet, and unless he and the Stars can come to an agreement on a long-term deal, he will have a one-year contract that walks him right into UFA status.
At this point in time, that seems like the most likely outcome after any trade talks surrounding the star winger have been halted by the player turning down long-term deals, but with Dallas looking to get maximum value out of the former second-round pick, it would make sense if they could get some assets in return for him.
Now, we know of at least one team that’s still showing interest in him, as Jeff Marek reported on the latest episode of The Sheet that Anaheim have long been a team linked to Robertson, and could still have interest in him. Given that Robertson tallied 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games played last year, it’s no shock that Anaheim is interested in Robertson, and while it’s unclear if he’d sign there long-term, with no deal looming for the Stars, it could be worth it for the Ducks to make a push for him.
Can Jason Robertson be a Backup Plan for Leo Carlsson?
Obviously, if the Ducks match the $18 million AAV offer sheet signed by Leo Carlsson with the Philadelphia Flyers, there’s no way they could afford to add Robertson while also retaining Cutter Gauthier long-term, but if they choose not to match, that’s a team that would then be armed with four extra first-round picks and plenty of salary cap space.
While Robertson is a winger and the team will need to replace their top-line center in this case, armed with four first-round picks, the team could target Robertson as a long-term replacement while looking somewhere like Seattle for Shane Wright or elsewhere for center help as they rebuild their team moving forward. Obviously, all of these moves are highly dependent on how things play out with Carlsson, with a decision expected in the next 48 hours from GM Pat Verbeek, but ultimately, if the team don’t match on their 21-year-old center of the future, expect them to quickly pivot and rekindle their interest in Robertson.
Western Conference Team Showing More Interest in Stars Winger Jason Robertson