Many players fill the upper echelons of royalty in Dallas Stars hockey. Jason Robertson has the potential to enter franchise legendary status as one of the Stars’ greats. Robertson is primed for a great career but his time in Dallas could soon end. The Stars enter cap-nightmare territory after the conclusion of this season. Their current salary cap remaining is north of $1.1 million, meaning the Stars may lose the opportunity to afford a new contract for Robertson. More wiggle room on the salary cap provides relief after next season. Keeping Robertson as an important forward is an important issue this year.
Franchise Player
Mike Modano is the only Stars player to record more goals in a season than Robertson. Robertson’s 46 goals during the 2022-23 season is 2nd to Modano’s 50 in 1994. He is a routinely consistent presence on the ice, playing in all 82 games over the last three years. He is already 18th in points over the franchise history dating back to 1967. He is an All-Star and a member of the 1st NHL Team. His contract will end after this season unless he signs a contract extension. The Stars need to find money for the possibility of retaining his services.
Cap Crunch
Finding money is a difficult task for the Stars’ front office after this season. Thomas Harley and Jason Robertson are the big names without contracts moving forward from this season. The Stars are receiving help with Ryan Suter’s buyout terminating at $1,433,333. Next year’s salary cap is also increasing by over $8 million to $104 million. Keeping Robertson for several years proves that he is an important franchise centerpiece. He might ask for adequate compensation because of that.
Other Factors
Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild recently signed an 8-year, $136 million extension with the team. His contract and $17 million AAV is the most expensive contract in NHL history. We may see more contracts like this with the salary cap increasing by a significant magnitude every year. Robertson may not receive the same amount but he may ask for a salary in the 8-figure range. It’s also worth noting that Thomas Harley is joining Robertson during a potential restricted free agency period. Trading Robertson is a painful alternative, but it would net a high return. Still, he is worth keeping around for his entire career.
Jason Robertson is an important, integral part of the Stars’ offense. Trading him without a massive return is not an option for Jim Nill. The cap situation is a problem, but that hasn’t dampened the amount of trust shown towards the front office.
Photo Credit: Dallas Stars X
Tags: dallas stars Jason Robertson jim nill Mikko Rantanen nhl Roope Hintz
Categorized: Stars