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Few Dallas Stars players in team history have earned or had the potential to earn a franchise player tag.
One of those players is Jason Robertson. Robertson is currently a restricted free agent with little money to re-sign him.
Many rumors swirl about the Stars trading or keeping him. Both arguments are being made regarding these two scenarios.
The Stars may have to trade another player, having only north of $10 million in available cap space. Simply put, the Stars don’t have the financial ability to re-sign him at the moment.
Stars GM Jim Nill will need to display his creativity during the next few weeks. The big ticket item in the offseason is what the Stars do with Robertson.This is more than either signing or trading him.Time Is Running Out
Time is ticking on the offseason as the Stanley Cup Final is two games in. This situation is not coming out of the blue. Robertson rumors have circled for about a year now. Free Agency starts on July 1st every year. The decision on what to do with Robertson should come before then. The Stars hold all the cards. They’ll surely extend a qualifying offer to him.
Any team that wants to sign Robertson must extend an offer sheet that includes draft picks. The Stars will then decide whether to match or not, taking the draft picks.
Anything above $11.9 million means that teams will need to supply the Stars with four 1st round draft picks over the next five drafts. These draft picks are exceptionally valuable to any franchise, making this an unlikely scenario unless a trade is made. Previous offer sheets, although rare, have resulted in the four 1st-round picks being returned to the original offering team in exchange for prospects. This is a busy offseason for Jim Nill and the Stars.
Money Problem
The cap space is a major issue surrounding this entire situation. The Stars have just over $10.1 million to spend on players next season. Nine players are free agents next season, including but not limited to Jamie Benn, Nathan Bastian, Adam Erne, and Michael Bunting. Money for players is an issue. Robertson is the last member of the core players without a contract. The Stars are incredibly limited on options. Mikko Rantanen, Tyler Seguin, Roope Hintz, Matt Duchene, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, Tyler Myers, and Esa Lindell cannot be traded due to contract clauses. Duchene and Myers have a limited team no-trade clause. The big problem here is Seguin’s $9.85 million contract. Seguin is a depth forward who has been resurging over the last few years. He has an impact on the lineup whenever he doesn’t struggle with injuries. This issue is much less of a problem next season.
Seguin’s large contract ends after the conclusion of next season. This, combined with the salary cap increasing from $104 million in 2026-27 to $113.5 million in 2027-28, leaves the Stars with a gargantuan increase in available spending. The problem is getting to that point, navigating the problems this offseason. Nill could ask Seguin to allow a trade, but the probability of that occurring is low. Seguin is paid handsomely and likes playing for the Stars. Options are limited for opening up cap space to re-sign Robertson. Expect him to sign a contract in the range of $12-14 million. That amount of money makes him the 3rd Stars player to make more than $10 million, after Rantanen and Harley.
Trading Robertson
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This salary cap situation is not in the Stars’ favor. One unfortunate outcome is failing to close a deal to keep him in Dallas. A trade may end up on the cards this offseason. His trade value is enormous. Teams will sacrifice a lot, especially high draft picks or prospects, to obtain his services. Even if this scenario allows the Stars to receive a massive trade haul, Robertson is not the type of player you want to see on another team.
He is a franchise player who can easily top the franchise’s all-time stats if he plays his whole career here. Trading Robertson is only an option if all other scenarios are exhausted. Finding the money for him is possible after other trades.
Finding a Trade
Cap-dump trades are one of the only possible options the Stars can implement to retain Robertson. Ilya Lyubushkin seems like the logical choice for a sacrifice bunt. Getting his $3.25 million off the books opens a major door to affording Robertson. Mavrik Bourque is also a restricted free agent so that the Stars will need money for him as well. Another trade piece is Radek Faksa. His $2 million is also a big help in clearing cap space. One highly unlikely trade piece is Wyatt Johnston. There is a better chance of Monaco winning the FIFA World Cup than the Stars trading Johnston. The big boy core of the Stars is set in stone for a long time, with Robertson being the final piece of the puzzle.
Nill must find a trade, and do it quickly. Finding the money for Robertson is an absolute priority.
Tyler Myers’ $1.5 million contract is a good trade chip. Myers is absolutely an expendable asset after having a horrifically awful postseason. There is no sugarcoating his performance; his benching in Game 6 may have sealed his fate after one of the worst defensive performances in recent memory during Game 5. Jake Oettinger can be traded until July 1st, when his NMC kicks in. If there were a number less than zero, then that is Oettinger’s chances of playing for another team next season. The Stars don’t need a lot of money, just a small amount.
Jason Robertson should retire after playing for the Stars his entire career. Players like him do not come around very often. There is no denying that he is a franchise player.
The question over the next few weeks revolves around which team he is a franchise player for. Money is tight, but for a player like Robertson, you do anything to keep him. The Stars are building their entire franchise around him.
This team is eons worse without him. Many teams want him and will offer substantial assets in a trade.
No trade is worth Robertson leaving. Whatever the Stars do, they need to find the money to keep him.
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Tags: dallas stars Ilya Lyubushkin Jake Oettinger jamie benn Jason Robertson jim nill Mikko Rantanen nhl stars Thomas Harley Tyler Myers tyler seguin