Buying time.
Just a few days before the arbitration hearing between restricted free agent winger Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars, the two sides came to a short-term contract agreement that will end the trade speculation. For now.
Robertson, 26, signed a one-year deal with Dallas for $12 million. There isn’t a signing bonus, which would reduce the owed money if a team acquires him before the 2027 NHL trade deadline.
Per the NHL collective bargaining agreement, a player who signs a one-year deal can re-sign beginning on January 1, which gives the parties a few more months to keep working on a new deal. Dallas currently has about $10.6 million of salary cap space, but Dallas will get a windfall next summer when the salary cap spikes another $9 million, and team stalwart Tyler Seguin’s contract expires. Seguin’s deal carries a $9.85 million hit.
Persistent trade rumors linked Robertson and the Pittsburgh Penguins, including a draft weekend report from Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Friedman, who said there was momentum between the Penguins and Dallas, but the deal didn’t get to the finish line.
If Robertson doesn’t re-sign in January, trade rumors will begin again as Robertson will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of his contract.
Tags: jason robertson
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