The Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson have been unable to agree on a new contract, and now TSN insider Darren Dreger is saying out loud what Dallas front offices circles have apparently been whispering for weeks.
It is more likely than not they trade Robertson. Not saying they will, but it's more likely than not.
That quote landed Sunday night and has not stopped circulating since.
Darren Dreger on the Stars and Jason Robertson's contract negotiations:
“It's more likely than not they trade Jason Robertson. Not saying they will, but it's more likely than not"
What's a fair package for Jason Robertson?
Robertson is 26 years old and on a $7.75 million cap hit. He just finished a regular season where he scored 45 goals and posted 96 points in 82 games, adding 15 power play goals along the way.
Those are not numbers a team normally shops. That is the whole point.
And yet GM Jim Nill and the winger's camp cannot find common ground, and now the most respected voice in the trade rumour business is publicly saying a deal looks unlikely.
The timing makes this even messier. Robertson added 5 goals and 8 points in just 6 playoff games before Dallas was eliminated, including a power play goal in that stretch.
What a Jason Robertson trade could cost a contender this summer
Think about what this actually means for any team picking up the phone. You are acquiring a 26-year-old winger who just cleared 45 goals, posted a +22 rating in the regular season, and buried 9 game-winning goals. That is not a rental. That is a franchise cornerstone with years of production ahead.
The asking price from Jim Nill will be steep. It should be.
And here is the uncomfortable reality for Dallas fans: the Stars finished 50-20-12 with 112 points this season, one of the best records in the Central Division. Trading their best pure goal-scorer does not make this team better. It makes it younger on paper and worse on ice.
Coach Glen Gulutzan inherits whatever roster Nill assembles. That is a painful situation to walk into if your top-line winger gets shipped out for futures.
Robertson scored 9 goals in his last 10 regular season games. Nine. Letting that walk, or trading it for picks and prospects, is the kind of move that ages poorly on a GM's resume.
The contract standoff is real. Dreger does not throw "more likely than not" around casually.
Whether Dallas ultimately pulls the trigger or uses the public pressure to force a deal remains the question nobody can answer yet.
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Should the Stars trade Jason Robertson if they can't sign him long-term?
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