As the Calgary Flames continue on with their retool, one factor that many fans point towards is a game-changing forward. The Flames have their franchise defenceman and goalie in Zayne Parekh and Dustin Wolf, but no one stands out at forward. This has led to multiple conversations on how to get a top-end forward, whether it be through the draft, free agency, or trade. Perhaps the Flames have drafted their top-end forward already, and they will emerge through great development.

However, today we’ll be looking at one option that might be off the market but is still being thrown around in Jason Robertson.

Robertson’s career so far

Before the NHL

After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 OHL draft, Robertson would start his journey to the NHL playing for the Kingston Frontenacs. He would spend three and a half seasons with the Frontenacs, with a trade to the Niagara Ice Dogs in his final season. Overall, he would accumulate 149 goals and 317 points in his OHL career, with a top scorer award in 2018–19. His most important season would obviously be his draft year.

With the draft on the line, Robertson scored an outstanding 42 goals and 39 assists for 81 points in 68 games. This performance is usually bound for a first-round selection, but due to some concerns with skating, Robertson surprisingly found himself available on day two. The Dallas Stars would happily scoop him up with the 39th pick of the 2017 NHL draft.

NHL career

With an awesome performance in his final junior and AHL rookie season, Robertson would become acclaimed as a top prospect in the league. Making the jump to the NHL, he proved it. In the shortened 2020–21 season, Robertson was arguably the best player on the Stars as a rookie. In just 51 games, he impressed with 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points. At season’s end, Robertson came second to Kirill Kaprizov in Calder voting.

Robetson only built off his rookie season, improving to over a point per game with 79 points in 74 games. His sophomore year saw him become one of the best players in the NHL. The 2022–23 season saw Robertson put up 46 goals and 109 points in 82 games while being just outside the top five in scoring league-wide. He and the Stars would go on their first deep run of many, being eliminated in the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights. The following year, Robertson slowed a bit, only putting up 29 goals and 80 points in 82 games. The Stars would go back to the Conference Final and lose again, this time to the Edmonton Oilers.

The start of this past season was a little shaky for Robertson. The first 23 games only saw him pick up 14 points, and it took until about midway through January for him to really look like himself again on paper. That, combined with the drop from the prior year, had people starting to question Robertson. However, Robertson finished the season strong, scoring 35 goals and 45 assists for 80 points in 82 games. The Stars made the Conference Final for the third year in a row and, unfortunately, lost to the Edmonton Oilers again.

Out of nowhere rumours

When the offseason kicked off, Robertson’s name hit the rumours market. It was confusing and pretty much out of the blue. There was no need for the Stars to trade one of their best players. The reasons behind this seem to be that Robertson’s production dropped from the 2022–23 season, and his playoffs were very mediocre on paper. Another was that, reportedly, the Stars were unsure if they could fit his upcoming extension under the cap.

This started to kick around mock trades and constant rumours. But as the hockey world works, nothing happened. The Flames were thrown around in this rumour mill once in a while, with some fans loving the idea and others not too excited about it. A source stated the Flames were interested in trading Rasmus Andersson and more for Robertson.

The rumours died down when Stars CEO and President, Brad Alberts, tweeted the pair of eyes emoji. Many assumed this was a Robertson extension. Nothing followed, and the tweet was two weeks ago. However, at this point, it really seems like Robertson will stay a Star. Nonetheless, it is still fun to take a look at possibilities.

The possibility of Robertson

Whether you’re a fan of the idea, Robertson would bring something missing to the Flames’ lineup. What that would be is a possible top-end scorer that the Flames are in desperate need of.

The positives

There are tons of positives when it comes to the possibility of welcoming Jason Robertson to your hockey team. He’s a proven top-end scorer in this league and is poised to find his form again. Pretty comfortably over a point per game in his career with 394 points in 374 games and is close to the half a goal per game mark with 168.

Robertson is the full package. He packs a powerful shot, that’s allowed him to be a consistent 35–40 goal scorer throughout his career. Even if he’s not letting off a laser of a shot, he has the mentality to easily position himself in spots to score more simple goals.

Aside from his goal-scoring, Robertson is also a great playmaker. There is a reason why he has produced 45+ assists in the past three seasons. Robertson has fantastic vision and intelligence when passing the puck. He can do whatever the situation asks for, whether it be cycling, give-and-go, etc. His big frame allows him to stand tall and strong, protecting the puck with ease from opponents. Mix this in with his quick, silky set of hands, and it’s hard to get Robertson off the puck. Even with his subpar skating, he’s developed habits to adapt, and it’s not as much of an issue as it should be.

Offence isn’t even the only area that Robertson shines in. He’s developed some very good defensive habits, which have seen his results skyrocket. In the past two seasons, Robertson has become one of the better two-way wingers in the league.

Robertson would bring in a level of offence that the Flames haven’t had since 2022. He’d be that much-needed piece upfront and would be a great top-end complement to the depth the Flames are developing extremely well.

The negatives

Even with a phenomenal player like Robertson, some negatives are to follow. One concern that could arise is whether Robertson is enough to take the Flames to the next level. Without a doubt, Robertson would bring lots of improvement to the team. Acquiring Robertson would bring an incentive to be a playoff team right away. However, would he take them to the Cup contender level alone? Probably not. It has always been hard to succeed with a winger as the main driver of offence for a team, and it’s not like the Flames have an outstanding support cast waiting. Options to become even better could become limited, and maybe the Flames would cap out similar to the current-day Los Angeles Kings.

Another would be his contract situation. Robertson has one year left on his deal before he becomes a restricted free agent. I feel the obvious move would be to let him play for the team first, instead of rushing a contract and ending up in a Jonathan Huberdeau situation. However, what if the Flames acquire him and he decides not to want to extend? He can sign a one-year deal and walk to free agency, and you’re served a Matthew Tkachuk situation again.

The final would be the trade cost. A Robertson deal doesn’t come cheap. As mentioned earlier, the Flames were interested in Rasmus Andersson plus, but what is that plus? With the Flames’ current situation, would they be comfortable moving a first-round pick in the deep 2026 draft? Obviously, the Flames possibly having a chance to acquire a player like Robertson doesn’t come around often, but they would have to be comfortable with the price they’re paying.

Would Robertson be a good option?

If Robertson was an option for the Flames, he’d be a pretty good one. He is an offensive weapon that this team is missing, and he’s young enough to fit the timeline they want. A dual-threat option that plays great at both ends of the ice as well. The negatives are much more situational, and the Flames would do their due diligence to ensure they are comfortable with what they’re acquiring.

Being happy or not with the possibility of acquiring Jason Robertson tends to be driven by personal opinion of what direction the Flames should be headed. If you want them to get the next best prospect, he’s not your favourite option. If you want to get back to contention as soon as possible, you love it. As someone whose thought process is always flipping between fantasyland and reality, Robertson will always be an option that depends on cost and situation personally. I wouldn’t want to mortgage tons of the future plus Rasmus Andersson for him, but I also understand the Flames will always be trying to compete.

Jason Robertson is the type of player that almost every single team would be trying to acquire. One of the highest-scoring players since entering the league, it is a dream to have someone like that. However, the rumours surrounding him seemed odd and now seem to be dead. So while it is fun to imagine, it truly does really feel like a pipe dream now if you want to trade for Robertson.

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