The Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. And a major reason for their success is productive winger Jason Robertson. Roberston is one of the best young wingers in the NHL. This has been an important season for him, as well. He hits restricted free agency this summer.
The Stars and Robertson have had some discussions on a new contract. However, a new deal has not been agreed to at this time. Ahead of their Monday night contest against the Utah Mammoth, general manager Jim Nill spoke about Robertson's future in the Lone Star State.
“We started discussions with Jason last summer, so we've kept in touch. In the end, we decided, let's table this. Let's go have a good year, let's have a good playoffs, and we'll make this work,” Nill said during an appearance on NHL Network on Monday. “He's a big part of our team. He's one of the leading scorers in the league… A priority for us is to get him signed this summer.”
Nill's desire to sign Robertson is certainly no surprise. Entering play Monday, the 26-year-old leads the Stars with 36 goals and 79 points in 66 games. He is the first player in Dallas Stars history to score 100 points in a single season. And he has scored at least 35 goals in four of the last five seasons.
However, signing Robertson could be easier said than done. Dallas is projected to have less than $15 million in available cap space, according to PuckPedia. Robertson could command the vast majority of that money on a new contract. The Stars will need to weigh signing Robertson against potentially trading him and using the return and cap space to construct their roster.
For now, the focus is on the ice. Robertson and the Stars are almost certainly making the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Any contract talks can happen after Dallas makes its push for its first Stanley Cup since 1999.
