- The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus floated Jason Robertson as a possible trade chip after Dallas’s first-round exit
- Robertson is a pending RFA whose next deal is expected to clear $13 million per year
- Read below for why Jim Nill might be cornered into the move
Jim Nill has a problem, and his name is Jason Robertson.
Mark Lazerus of The Athletic raised the possibility that Dallas could deal its 26-year-old winger this summer rather than pay him what the market is going to demand. Robertson is a pending restricted free agent. His next contract is widely expected to land in the $13-14 million range.
The Stars have roughly $11.1 million in projected cap space. The math doesn’t work.
Robertson is coming off a 45-goal, 96-point year. Trading a player that productive while he’s still 26 sounds backwards, but Lazerus argues it’s the cleanest way for Nill to refill a prospect pool that’s been picked over and free up cap room to keep the rest of the core intact.
Robertson wasn’t the only name Lazerus put on the table. Matt Duchene’s expiring deal makes him a candidate to walk, and Roope Hintz’s $8.45 million cap hit looks heavy for a center who keeps missing time.
Here’s a look back at what Robertson did in the series that ended Dallas’s season:
Glen Gulutzan said publicly he’d like to bring most of this group back. The cap sheet may not let him. Four straight playoff runs without a Cup tends to force a hard look at the roster, and the Robertson contract is the one decision that touches everything else.
Whether Robertson stays or moves will tell us how aggressive Nill is willing to get this offseason. More trade speculation is coming.
