Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill says the club’s work with Jason Robertson is far from finished.
The one-year, $12 million extension Robertson signed in July was always meant to be a short-term step, not the end of the conversation. Robertson, who was a restricted free agent when the deal got done, avoided arbitration and set himself up to be eligible for a multi-year extension starting Jan.
1, 2027. If the Stars and Robertson still haven’t reached a longer agreement by next summer, the 27-year-old will be headed toward unrestricted free agency.
Nill laid out the team’s thinking during an appearance on NHL Network, stressing that the Stars want to keep Robertson in Dallas beyond this season.
"[3:22] Well, you know, it’s always going to be hard. You’re dealing with star players, and they deservedly get paid.
And we’re trying to find the right number that makes it fit, so we can keep our team together. And so, yeah, I don’t think it… You don’t want to say it’s tough negotiations.
It just takes time. It’s patience, it’s time, and until you hit deadlines, nothing really happens," said Nill.
He also pointed to the arbitration filing as the key pressure point that helped push the sides to a deal.
"You know, in the end, Jason, they filed for arbitration, which gives you a deadline, which is probably the best thing for both parties. And so we’re able to get that deal done, and then now moving forward, you know, our plan is to try to get him signed here this season sometime before he comes to UFA."
Nill has been consistent about that goal. Earlier, he made it clear Robertson wanted to stay in Dallas and that the two sides eventually found a number that worked.
“It was very clear he wanted to be a Dallas Star and in the end, this was the best fit for the timing,” Nill said earlier via NHL. “We have a cap situation and the league has a situation. In the end, we found a number.”
Robertson has spent the last seven years with the Stars after Dallas selected him No. 39 overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. He led the team last season with 96 points, finishing with 45 goals and 51 assists in 82 games.
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