Elliotte Friedman reports the Stars let Seattle talk to Jason Robertson, and the winger turned down a roughly $15M, eight-year offer from the Kraken.

The details are striking. Per multiple sources, Dallas granted permission, Seattle made the offer, and Robertson declined. The Stars, the Kraken, and his representative Andy Scott all stayed quiet.

There was a deal behind it, too. Friedman says the teams had apparently worked out a trade before permission was granted, with Seattle's first-round pick, seventh overall Friday, believed to be part of it.

Here's the gap at the heart of it. Friedman says the Stars and their winger are believed to be at least $2M apart per year. Dallas's top deal is Mikko Rantanen at $12M, and the hope was Robertson would land near there.

The clock matters most. Robertson is a restricted free agent as of July 1, which frames everything that happens next.

Friedman laid the whole thing out.

What Robertson's no leaves unresolved in Dallas

This is a major update. Just days ago, Darren Dreger had Jim Nill "purely listening" and expected an extension to get done in Dallas. Friedman's reporting shows it went far past that.

Read what it tells you. Dallas was far enough along to build a Seattle framework and grant talking rights. That isn't a team simply keeping its star, it's one that explored moving him.

Robertson's side made a statement, too. Turning down roughly $15M says he either wants more or didn't want Seattle. As an RFA his leverage is limited, but that's still a loud no.

The $2M chasm is the crux. On an eight-year deal, that's a massive distance to close, and the Rantanen comparable sets the ceiling Dallas would prefer.

Here's my read: this blows up the tidy idea that Robertson just re-signs and moves on. The Stars clearly tested a trade, the player clearly has his own number, and an RFA standoff days before the draft is real tension. Someone blinks, or this drags.

So what looked settled is anything but.

With the draft Friday and July 1 closing in, whether Dallas bridges the gap, revisits a trade, or lets it simmer is the story. A $15M no doesn't end this. It reopens it.

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Elliotte Friedman confirms the monster offer a Stars rival made for Jason Robertson

Was Robertson right to turn down Seattle's $15M offer?

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