Jason Robertson’s future in Dallas is starting to take shape, but not nearly enough to call it settled.
The Stars winger is on track to hit unrestricted free agency this summer when the one-year, $12MM deal he signed in July expires. Under the league’s CBA rules, Dallas can’t put a contract extension in front of him before January, which leaves the team waiting for a window to open.
Pierre LeBrun said on TSN’s Insider Trading that GM Jim Nill is hoping to restart extension talks with Robertson’s camp, led by Octagon’s Andy Scott. LeBrun also reported that Robertson “wants to stay in Dallas” and “loves” being a Star, while the team “want[s] to finally figure this out.”
Even with that shared interest, there’s no guarantee the two sides get to the finish line.
What is clear is that Robertson is positioned for a major payday wherever he ends up. At 27, he’d be one of the most coveted forwards in free agency in years if he reaches the market.
He owns a career high of 46 goals and 109 points and has been right around a point per game every season since 2021-22. Last year he piled up 45 goals and 96 points, then added five goals and eight points in six playoff games.
Through 12 games this season, he has five goals and 13 points. His camp could point to Kirill Kaprizov’s $17MM AAV with the Minnesota Wild as a benchmark.
Elsewhere, Arthur Kaliyev is taking a different route in search of his next NHL deal. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the 25-year-old has signed an AHL PTO with the Iowa Wild.
Kaliyev has more than 200 NHL games on his résumé, but he lost his hold on an NHL roster spot during the 2025-26 season and is now trying to work his way back with a strong run at the AHL level. The 2019 second-round pick still flashed major scoring touch last season, leading the AHL with 40 goals and finishing with 68 points in 70 games for the Belleville Senators.
Iowa could use that kind of offense; the club currently ranks 24th in the AHL in goals scored.
In Chicago, Alex Vlasic has been listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings because of an illness, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. If he can’t go, the Blackhawks will have to rework the blue line without the defenseman who has stepped into the No. 1 role with Bowen Byram sidelined.
Vlasic also handles the team’s top penalty-killing duties. Should he miss the matchup, 23-year-old Ethan Del Mastro would likely come into the lineup.
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Minnesota is believed to have the strongest offer on the table, and there is still no deal in place, which keeps the door open for plenty of speculation around the league. Detroit is also staring at another important deadline with Simon Edvinsson, who needs a contract by December 1 while multiple teams remain in the mix, including San Jose, and the Red Wings continue to test different contract lengths in talks. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Turn To Rookie As Injuries Test Dallas Blue Line
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Taylors arrival gives the Stars a fresh option on the back end at a time when every healthy defenseman matters. Dallas also had a choice to make on which young blueliner to bring up, and the decision to go with Taylor over Tristan Bertucci adds another layer to a situation that is still unfolding as the team prepares for the next game. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Put Cameron Hughes In Roster Limbo With Latest Move
Cameron Hughes has spent the start of the season on injured reserve, and now his path back to the Dallas Stars has taken another turn. The club placed the center on waivers, opening a 24-hour window for any other NHL team to claim him while he works his way back from the upper-body injury that kept him out of the lineup.
If Hughes goes unclaimed, the Stars will have the option to send him to their AHL affiliate in Texas, where he could continue his recovery and get back into game shape. For Dallas, it is another roster decision shaped as much by patience as by personnel, with Hughes still waiting for the chance to return after a preseason setback. [Read more 🡒]