- Dallas and Jason Robertson cannot open long-term contract talks until Jan. 1, 2027
- Robertson signed for one year at $12 million after turning down eight years from Seattle
- Read below for what Robertson and Jim Nill said about the next negotiation
The biggest question facing the Dallas Stars this season has a date attached to it.
NHL.com ran through three questions for Dallas on Sunday, and the one that lingers is whether Jason Robertson signs long term. Neither side can start that conversation until Jan. 1, 2027.
Robertson signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21 and wiped an arbitration hearing off the calendar. That number ties Mikko Rantanen for the highest cap hit on the roster, and it walks the 27-year-old winger to unrestricted free agency next July.
What he passed on is the part people keep chewing on. Elliotte Friedman reported in late June that Seattle put an eight-year offer in front of Robertson at roughly $15 million per season, attached to a sign-and-trade that would have sent the No. 7 pick to Dallas. Robertson said no.
The winger met with reporters the day after signing and was asked why the deal landed where it did. He didn’t pretend the cap math was a secret.
“Everyone can see that they are in a little crunch. But at the end of the day, they had my rights. I wasn’t free to go anywhere this year so, the chances of staying in Dallas this offseason were high obviously because of that. It just happened in this way and obviously we’ll have time to revisit it later this year.”
Watch Robertson walk through the whole thing:
Jim Nill spoke that same morning, and the GM kept it light on drama, per Mike Heika.
“I talked to Jason this morning. We had a good talk. He just wants to continue his training, get excited about this year. He loves hockey and he just wants to be training and know where he wants to be for this season.”
The raise waiting for Robertson is real. He led the Stars with 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games last season, added eight points in six playoff games, and has now topped 40 goals three times in his career.
Dallas also gets a head start nobody else does. Robertson is headed for a 2027 free agent class stacked with names, and the Stars get first crack at him on Jan. 1.
