After their first-round playoff exit, the Dallas Stars enter the offseason with major decisions looming.
One of those has to do with the 26-year-old forward Jason Robertson, who led the team with 96 points (45 goals) this season.
Robertson is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 following the completion of his four-year, $31 million contract.
On Monday, NHL reporter Jeff Marek appeared on Daily Faceoff's "DFO Rundown" and reported a possible sticking point dragging the negotiations on longer than both sides would prefer.
Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
“I do think that there’s a contract that’s out there and has been out there for Jason Robertson, but he doesn’t want it, and that’s the Thomas Harley deal,” Marek said. “Here’s where the stalemate lurks. It’s the Thomas Harley deal, and I think that Dallas would do that and go full term on it. It’s Harley at the bottom, and it’s Mikko Rantanen at the top. And it’s pretty obvious that all season long, the Mikko Rantanen deal still isn’t appetizing for Dallas [to offer to Robertson].”
Marek’s comments point to a gap between the Stars' valuation of Robertson and what they are willing to offer, and what Robertson’s camp is seeking for his new deal.
If Marek is correct, Dallas would offer Robertson something in the $10.6 million range, and far below the $12 million average annual value (AAV) they signed Rantanen to. In October, the Stars signed Harley to that $10.6 million AAV on an eight-year contract.
Robertson's contract situation is also complicated by his arbitration rights, with Marek believing the Stars would prefer to avoid arbitration.
“[Robertson] has arbitration rights, and I don’t think they want to go that direction, because he can take the one-year (contract), not get traded, and say, ‘See you later,’ it’s Mitch Marner 2.0,” Marek said. “I don’t think Dallas wants to get into that [arbitration] room. I think they need to have a decision before. Either we have a deal or we have a trade.”
Robertson hasn't missed a regular-season game for four consecutive years, recording 365 points in 328 games during that span.
