Kaplan: ‘All Signs Point’ to Robertson Extension in Dallas

Jason Robertson isn’t getting traded.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported in a recent postseason buzz piece that “all signs point to an extension in Dallas, rather than a trade” for the 26-year-old winger. After months of speculation hanging over the franchise, that’s the strongest signal yet that Jim Nill is going to lock down his leading scorer.

Robertson is coming off a 45-goal, 96-point season across all 82 games. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, finishing the four-year, $31 million deal he signed back in 2022.

Take a look at Robertson doing what he does in the playoffs:

Nill spelled out his stance at his year-end press conference earlier this month. The longtime GM told reporters including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News that getting Robertson signed is his top priority this summer, and that he hopes the winger spends the rest of his career as a Star.

Here’s the full year-end presser from the Stars’ YouTube channel:

Elliotte Friedman echoed the same read on a recent 32 Thoughts podcast. The Sportsnet insider said he has no reason to believe Robertson wants out of Dallas, and that the only way he ends up elsewhere is if the player himself pushes for the move.

The money is the hard part. Dallas has roughly $11 million in projected cap space and nine pending free agents to sort. Robertson’s market value sits north of $12 million per season, and the comp everyone keeps pointing to is the eight-year, $96 million extension Mikko Rantanen signed with the Stars last year.

Catch Kaplan’s report on the Rantanen deal:

Earlier this month it looked like Dallas might have to trade Robertson just to clear the cap. Tyler Seguin’s $9.85 million hit keeps getting floated as the move that opens the door. Wherever Nill finds the room, the question isn’t where Robertson plays next year. It’s how big the check gets.