Jason Robertson's next contract is turning into the biggest storyline of the Dallas Stars' offseason.
Stars GM Jim Nill addressed it directly earlier this month, and he didn't dodge the stakes involved.
Speaking on NHL Network, Nill said it's always hard negotiating with star players. He added that Robertson deserves to get paid.
His exact words carried the real headline. The plan now is to get Robertson signed sometime this season, before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The number Nill is negotiating from is enormous. Robertson put up 96 points last season, 45 goals and 51 assists across 82 games.
He wasn't finished there either. Robertson added 5 goals and 3 assists in 6 playoff games, riding a stretch of 9 goals over his last 10 regular-season outings.
His current cap hit sits at $7,750,000. Whatever Dallas eventually signs him to won't look anything close to that number.
Robertson's monster season raises Dallas' price tag
This is where it gets messy for Nill. He's already carrying Mikko Rantanen at $12,000,000 and Wyatt Johnston at $8,400,000 on that same roster.
Trying to squeeze another max-value extension into that structure is like packing one more suitcase into a trunk that's already full. Something has to give eventually.
Miro Heiskanen is locked in at $8,450,000 of his own. Roope Hintz sits at $8,450,000 too, and he's currently dealing with a hamstring issue that has him questionable to start the year.
Add it up and Dallas is staring at four core pieces north of $7,000,000 apiece, with Robertson still needing a new number attached.
Nill's language was careful on purpose. He talked about finding "the right number that makes it fit," not a specific dollar figure.
-
Robertson turns 28 next summer, right inside the window Nill described as this season. If those talks stall out, unrestricted free agency stops being a talking point and starts being a real deadline.
Should the Stars pay Jason Robertson whatever it takes to keep him off the open market?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Elliotte Friedman confirms major developments around Connor Hellebuyck
