The free agency frenzy is over and teams have undergone the necessary changes to improve their clubs. Alot of the attention now is shifted towards the RFA as some of them head towards arbitration. One team that boasts some of the top RFA’s out there is the Dallas Stars. While they have young stud goalie Jake Oettinger, the focus is on Jason Robertson. Jason Robertson needs a new contract and after the season he displayed, he has earned every penny.
Jason Robertson Contract
Rumour: Saad Yousuf from The Athletic projects the next contract for forward Jason Robertson.
Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, and Carolina Hurricanes goalie Alex Nedeljkovic have been named finalists for the Calder Trophy this season: https://t.co/EIQw1tn7w0#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/nkjD7tzw8T
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 3, 2021
The Dallas Stars did some nice things in the off-season. They managed to bring in defensive depth in Colin Miller and Will Butcher. The biggest signing they made was bringing on former Florida Panthers forward Mason Marchment. Those are great in terms of rounding out the lineup and having complementary pieces. The real work is far from being done and Jim Nill shifts his attention to forward Jason Robertson.
The Stars currently have 11.4 million dollars in cap space. The team not only has Robertson to sign but also Oettinger. Both players highlighted the 2017 Stars draft class and have become core pieces to the team going forward. It should not be a tough choice to sign them long-term, but it does present a challenge.
Why The Team Should Sign Robertson
This team does not belong to Jamie Benn or Tyler Seguin anymore. This team belongs to Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Miro Heiskanen. These are the pillars and building blocks going forward. And while the team clearly wants to and should want to bring Robertson back, there is a hurdle to get over.
We live in a salary cap world. The Stars have hefty contracts in Seguin, who will make $9.8 million per season until the 2027-28 season. Benn, the team’s captain, has his contract end in 2024-25 and carries a cap hit of $9.5 million. This complicates things in the now but in the future it will be easier financially.
Saad Yousuf mentions a possible bridge deal for Robertson. Inking him short-term would help with the available cap space and when Benn had his contract come off the books, Robertson can replace that financial amount. It will be tricky but it is worth noting as it compared to players such as Brock Boeser from the Vancouver Canucks.
According to Evolving Hockey, the projected contract for Jason Robertson has an AAV of $7.9 million. That would leave money left over for Oettinger and eventually, contracts are coming off the books which will give the Stars more money to work with down the line.
Why Robertson Is Worth It
Robertson needs a new contract. Robertson is a homegrown talent with the Stars and has gotten better every season so far. He had a career season with 41 goal, 38 assists, and 79 points. He led the Stars in goals and finished second in points and shattered his expected goal totals. In 128 games, he has registered 125 points. The kid is only getting better and should be a Dallas Star for a long time.
Robertson was one of three that represented the top line. The line alone was the best on the team by a wide margin. They averaged 3.87 goals for per 60 minutes and scored 51 goals. That led all Dallas forward lines by a big gap. Robertson went on to average 3.54 points per 60 minutes. Robertson had great possession numbers finishing with a Corsi For Percentage at 60%. His on-ice goals percentage stands out the most with a 64.8%.
This is a franchise player worth building around and the season he had should back that up.
