Insider reveals that the Stars don't have the financial flexibility to sign Jason Robertson long-term
The Dallas Stars are in a position similar to the Leafs, in that they have a single RFA left to sign this summer and likely don't have the sufficient cap space to get a deal done. The Leafs are currently ~$1.5M in the red and will need to clear a contract off the books to get a deal done for defenseman Rasmus Sandin. The Stars, however, are ~$6.3M in the green and may also need to clear a contract if they hope to get forward Jason Robertson signed.
Robertson is coming off of a 41-goal, 79-point campaign and, since there are not many 40-goal scorers out there, he is going to command a lot of money. The tough part for the Stars is that many of his comparables have already signed their deals - and they're almost all in excess of $8M per season on long-term deals. What's worse is that none of those players scored 40+ goals last season.
There may be a way out, however, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman is suggesting that the Stars and Robertson could elect to go the same route as the club did with Jake Oettinger and go with a bridge deal, which could help keep the cap hit slightly lower - though likely still above the $7M mark.
"I just don't think they have the ability to do this deal for term. If they couldn't do Oettinger for term, then they certainly can't do Robertson for term I don't think, unless there is another move coming there that I don't see right now. I wouldn't expect Robertson right now for term."
-Friedman on the Jason Robertson situation in Dallas
-Friedman on the Jason Robertson situation in Dallas
Even if the Stars can get Robertson done for, say, 3 years, $21.75M ($7.25M AAV), they still may need to move someone off of the roster, unless of course the final year of Anton Khudobin's deal plays out on LTIR. Khudobin, 36, is slated to earn $3.33M next season.
It is worth noting that Robertson is still eligible to sign an offer sheet - and there are a few teams who can afford to pay him on a long-term deal that the Stars likely won't be able to match - at least not without moving out a sizeable contract. Anaheim and Detroit are two of the teams with both the space and the picks to pull it off. Robertson, however, would also have to be willing to sign.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 8 | 156 ANSWERS Insider reveals that the Stars don't have the financial flexibility to sign Jason Robertson long-term What will happen with Jason Robertson? | ||
| He'll sign a bridge deal in Dallas | 90 | 57.7 % |
| He'll sign long-term in Dallas | 38 | 24.4 % |
| He'll sign an offer sheet | 28 | 17.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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