Stars Find Stars Find Short-Term Robertson Solution

The Dallas Stars narrowly avoided arbitration with one of their star players when they came to an agreement on a one year, $12 million deal to re-sign Jason Robertson one day before his birthday.

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 Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson (21) celebrates his power play goal against the Minnesota Wild during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Robertson, a restricted free agent this offseason, had previously balked at the Stars offers and wanted his long term deal to reflect close to a $15 million average per season. Instead, the 26-year-old winger chose to bet on himself for one more year, signing a deal to match Mikko Rantanen's number as the two highest paid players on the team.

For the Stars, it has been nothing short of impossible to attempt to fit everyone under the cap for the upcoming season, but a huge $9.5 million hit for Tyler Seguin ends after this season. Obviously Seguin has been an integral part of the team since signing that deal, but with injuries hindering his ability to play regularly and at that top level, it has been difficult to stomach having that cap space locked up and potentially costing the Stars their top contributor over the last several seasons.

Now, they can reassess their cap space for next summer with Seguin at a different and surely lower number, and with the salary cap increasing once more league-wide. Robertson will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, meaning he very well could walk away from Dallas with nothing in return for the Stars, but could also get a long-term deal worth his wanted $15 million or perhaps even more based on his potential performance this season.

Another justification for Robertson settling for the $12 million is that an eight year deal starting next season would get Robertson paid at a premium through age 36, which could be critical for a player who already lacks elite skating and speed. On the off chance that his production drops off in his mid-30s, he is locked in for one extra year at a high number rather than potentially taking a huge drop in salary a year sooner.

All in all, it was a difficult negotiation for both player and team that included agreed upon trades that were vetoed only at the last minute by Robertson. Whether it will impact the upcoming season or the relationship between the two is still up in the air, but the Stars are certainly happy to have his production back in the lineup that was looking somewhat bleak with the prospect of having to fill that gap with someone else.

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