Stars Need to Extend Jason Robertson

Robertson inked a four-year, $31 million contract prior to the 2022 campaign, and that deal has paid off phenomenally for both sides. The 26-year-old forward from California has put up monster seasons, proving to be not only a fantastic scorer — he had 46 goals and 109 points in 2022-23 — but also remarkably durable, playing in 82 games in each of the past three seasons. That makes him a commodity that's not easily replaceable.

So, why hasn’t a deal been struck? It’s obvious that the Stars and Robertson are in a symbiotic relationship that needs to continue. But, with most things in life, what seems simple is a little bit more complicated.

The Hurdles Are High But Not Insurmountable

Because of the lucrative contracts that Dallas has already committed to, there isn’t a lot of cap space left for Robertson. He deserves to be well-compensated for his play — as evidenced by his recent stretch of scoring — so any new agreement would need to make sure he’s financially taken care of.

On paper, the Stars’ current projected cap space of approximately minus $1.7 million wouldn’t be enough to fit in a new deal for Robertson. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the cap appears to be going up next offseason, which could give the team enough wiggle room to make it all work.

The other piece of good fortune is that it appears Robertson wants to stay in Texas. Over the offseason, Robertson expressed that he wasn’t too worried about the contract negotiations and was instead focused on the season at hand.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” he said. “I think what is important is this year for us as a team. The window is open, we’re trying to win it this year, and then we’ll look at it.”

That sentiment rang true for Nill, too.

“We have team control for two more years, RFA rights, so it’s a different time frame for us,” Nill said.

It’s also clear that Robertson is going to wait until the last possible moment to get a deal done. He obviously wants to play out the season, see what he can do on the ice and then ask for what he’s worth.

The Stars and Robertson need to work it out. Whether it happens next week or in four months does not matter. Dallas needs Jason Robertson, because without him, they just aren't the same.