John Buccigross just floated a Nikita Kucherov for Jason Robertson swap, and the Stars winger is the one he sees extending in Tampa.
The idea isn't new in Dallas. CBS Sports pairing Kucherov with Robertson was the talk of Sunday, and the rumor mill has been spinning since Saturday.
According to R i N K Y, Buccigross said he thinks Robertson would sign an extension with the Lightning mid-season, and for less than what Kucherov would command.
-
Buccigross put the number at 13, 13.5. That's more than the $12,000,000 Robertson earns now, but he framed it as a bargain next to a Kucherov re-up.
Both players are in the final year of their deals, and neither has signed an extension. That's the whole tension of this rumor.
Robertson has 14 points in 14 games this season, including 2 game-winning goals. He's 27, so any team that gets him is buying prime years, not a farewell tour.
Kucherov is 33 and has 18 points in 13 games for a Lightning team that sits at 8-3-2. His $9,500,000 cap hit expires after this season, and he'd be a UFA.
Why the Stars should be wary of this swap
Dallas is 8-5-1 and won its last game 3-1 over Columbus. The Stars aren't a team in crisis, and Robertson is a big reason they're not.
Trading a 27-year-old winger for a 33-year-old on an expiring deal looks like a bad idea. Kucherov is still elite, but Dallas would be swapping one contract question for another, with the added risk that he walks in July.
The Lightning side is easier to see. They'd get the younger player and a chance to lock him in, which is exactly what Buccigross is arguing. Robertson's contract question with the Stars hasn't gone anywhere, and that's what makes the rumor stick.
Nothing here is reported as a done deal. It's one broadcaster's take, though it lands while the Stars head to Washington on Tuesday with Robertson's future still unresolved.
Would you trade Jason Robertson for Nikita Kucherov?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Jeff Marek gives update on Stars' interest in Zach Werenski
