Stars GM on Jason Robertson: ‘That’s our goal, to get him signed’
The Dallas Stars are still working through the fallout of their first-round exit at the hands of an excellent Minnesota Wild team, but general manager Jim Nill has a clear top priority to address in the contract situation surrounding winger Jason Robertson.
Robertson, coming off of a 45-goal season, is a restricted free agent at the conclusion of a contract that carried a salary cap hit of $7.75 million per season.
The acquisition of and subsequent contract extension given to Mikko Rantanen last season put Dallas in a long-term bind with the salary cap, leading to Robertson’s name being in trade rumors for over a year since.
On Thursday, Nill addressed reporters in Dallas to share details on the injuries his players were dealing with and shed some light onto his off-season plans, including where his focus lies with Robertson.
“So my plan is to reach out to his agent in the next week or so,” Nill told Dallas media. “That’s our focus, to get him signed. He’s a big part of our team, and we’ve drafted and developed him.”
“45-goal scorers don’t grow on trees,” Nill added.
One thing that does, sort of, grow on trees in the NHL now is cap space. Nill’s quest to accommodate a long-term deal that reflects Robertson’s value got a boost Wednesday when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the NHL has notified teams that the 2026-27 salary cap will be $104 million, an $8.5 million jump from this past season.
According to Puckpedia, the Stars are currently slated to have about $11.1 million of cap space for next year with 10 forwards, 7 defensemen and 2 goaltenders under contract.
Rantanen makes $12 million, which is an interesting figure to consider in Robertson’s situation. With the cap increasing massively, Robertson’s camp has a strong argument for his number on a long-term deal to land around there.
Rival teams could also force Nill’s hand by signing Robertson to a contract with a larger cap hit, pressuring him to take the compensation or find a way to create considerably more space under the ceiling.