Will Jason Robertson still be a Dallas Star next season?
There are several questions heading into the free agency season, especially with one of the young stars in the game.
With a number of players having already signed contracts to extend, there are just a few players that are considered “top-tier” free agents. One player’s name who is starting to come up is Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. While he has been a key player for the team over the past few seasons, hitting 100 points during the 2022-23 season before adding 96 points this past year.
However, with Robertson a restricted free agent, many expect him to receive a big payday, which could cause headaches for general manager Jim Nill and force him to make a decision on the 26-year-old.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Matt Larkin discuss whether they think Robertson is going to remain with the Stars next year.
Tyler Yaremchuk: A few star players whose names have just kind of popped up a little bit in trade talk over the last few weeks. The first one up is Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. A pending RFA on a team that is, well, they’re in cap Hell in Dallas unless they can make some magic happen. Blank percent chance that Jason Robertson is a Dallas Star next season?
Matt Larkin: I’m going to say 85%…I still think if you look at the big picture, yes, the Stars are capped out right now. They also have Maverik Bourque, who’s an RFA. They have $10.14 million. I think that alone should be going to Jason Robertson, who is ninth in the NHL in scoring over the past five years. I think if you zoom out, if you’re Jim Nill, you find a way to keep a player of Robertson’s skill.
I think there are a couple things you could do to get out of this situation. One is you trade Ilya Lybushkin. $3.25 million. He has no movement restrictions on his contract. He’s entering the final year of his deal. He’s a right shot. That’s actually a pretty easy contract to move. You attach a pick. The team getting him, probably not a contender. You get a second-rounder for Lybushkin, and you can flip him at the deadline next year. You get another pick for him. So he’s going to turn into two picks for you. I think that’s a pretty easy sell. That gives you a little bit of breathing room.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…