- The Athletic’s Josh Yohe says a Robertson-to-Pittsburgh trade is still in play
- Yohe has been told Robertson would be happy to join the Penguins, but Dallas does not want to move him
- Read below for what a deal would cost and why the Stars are stuck
The Pittsburgh Penguins are not done chasing Jason Robertson.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic said this week that a trade sending the Dallas Stars winger to Pittsburgh is still in play, even after the two sides came up empty before the draft.
The details are what matter here. The Penguins remain very interested, and Yohe has been told Robertson would be happy to end up in Pittsburgh. The problem sits on the other side of the deal.
Dallas, in his view, does not actually want to move him.
That fits the rest of the picture. Robertson is a restricted free agent headed to arbitration with the Stars, and Dallas is squeezed against the cap, which makes any Robertson decision messy.
Kyle Dubas has spent two years hoarding prospects and picks for a swing exactly like this one. Pittsburgh pushed hard before the draft and built real momentum before the talks stalled.
The appeal is easy to see. Robertson scored 45 goals and racked up 96 points last season, and he just turned 26.
Check out all 45 of those goals:
A finisher like that would give Pittsburgh its next cornerstone for the years after Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Dubas would almost certainly hand him a long-term extension the second a deal closed.
The money is where it gets hard. Robertson is chasing a contract in the $14 million range, and Dallas has been asking for a Rantanen-level haul to give him up.
The Stars are holding firm, and Yohe does not see the Penguins backing off.
