.jpg?w=1280 "Jason Robertson Landing Spots")
7 Potential Trade Destinations for Jason Robertson After Dallas Stars' Playoff Elimination
'Tis the season in the NHL.
A perceived powerhouse team is dumped from the Stanley Cup chase and observers quickly shift from "how can the team avoid elimination" to "where is (Superstar Player) going to wind up."
It's the Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson this time around thanks to an untimely first-round exit on Thursday night at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, who finished one standings position and eight points behind them in the regular season.
Robertson, a 26-year-old from California, is in the final throes of a four-year, $31 million bridge deal he signed just prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. He's produced 155 goals and 365 points since, and projects to become an eight-figure player going forward, perhaps commanding in the area of $13 million annually.
He's a restricted free agent and the Stars are projected to have slightly more than $11 million under the salary cap with two other RFAs and six unrestricted free agents to decide upon. Thanks to the tight cap situation in Dallas and no shortage of teams around the league with cash to spend, he could be an offer-sheet target, too, if he's not dealt or locked up prior to July 1.
B/R's hockey staff took a look at the situation and compiled a list of potential destinations if the Stars decide to trade Robertson for some guaranteed return on the asset. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
Pittsburgh Penguins
1 of 7
Raise your hand if you picked the Penguins to rack up 98 points this season.
It didn't end particularly well thanks to a first-round playoff elimination at the hands of their cross-state rivals in Philadelphia, though, and every day going forward will prompt questions about how long an aging core stays together.
Sidney Crosby is 38 and signed for one more season. Evgeni Malkin is 39 and perhaps headed to free agency. And five other forwards, not to mention four defensemen, are already past their 30th birthdays.
So there's got to be some consideration of the future in the Steel City, and that's where a guy like Robertson could fit the bill, perhaps pairing up with Crosby in "The Kid's" victory tour before becoming the next long-term franchise face.
Pittsburgh is set to have more than $40 million of cap space into 2026-27 and could presumably swing a deal for Robertson if Dallas GM Jim Nill sees enough in the Penguins' cupboard to equal out the value.
San Jose Sharks
2 of 7
There are a lot of opposing fans concerned these days about the Sharks.
Some of the angst comes from the fact that San Jose is on the rise and was in contention for a Western playoff spot until the season's final week.
And the rest of it comes, particularly with teams with stars eyeing a possible exit, from realizing the league's northern California residents are flush with salary cap cash and possess one of the league's deepest prospect pools.
It'd be hard to suggest Robertson wouldn't at least be intrigued by the idea of returning to his home state, particularly if it meant an opportunity to play alongside the likes of Macklin Celebrini, whose 115 points in 82 games this season put him among the most prolific teenagers in NHL history.
If GM Mike Grier doesn't at least make an inquiry, it's a dereliction of duty.
Chicago Blackhawks
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If you read the reasons why Robertson might make sense in San Jose, particularly the last one, this may look a little bit familiar.
The Blackhawks have another of the league's young superstar faces in Connor Bedard, who was picked first overall in the 2023 draft and reached both the 30-goal mark and point-per-game player status in his just completed third season.
Chicago GM Kyle Davidson has been slightly less successful than San Jose's Grier in assembling talent around him, though, and that's why the Windy City executive might be tempted to make a big swing to put another bona fide weapon in the team's arsenal.
The Blackhawks are also projected to have just north of $40 million in cap space for 2026-27 and it'd be an inspired move to get both Bedard and Robertson, both RFAs come July 1, under wraps as a sequel to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
For San Jose, it's a luxury. But for Davidson, given his team's 31st overall finish in a 32-team league, the need is far more a pressing one.
Carolina Hurricanes
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The Hurricanes are undeniably among the league's elite.
And they have been for the last several years.
But they've not gotten over the championship hump. And they've not had a true superstar-caliber player on the roster—outside of Mikko Rantanen's brief stay in Raleigh—to give coach Rod Brind'Amour a nuclear option when needed.
Robertson could change that.
Carolina is looking at just north of $14 million in cap space on a roster where only one player, 28-year-old forward Sebastian Aho, is even approaching eight figures at $9.75 million a year.
In fact, each of the top-four salaried forwards are signed at their current numbers through 2028-29, presumably giving the brass some wiggle room with which to bring in a top-tier moneymaker like Robertson—and his 39.2-goal average over the past five seasons—into the fold.
Washington Capitals
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Did we mention Pittsburgh might be looking for a star to take the reins when Sidney Crosby skates into a Hall of Fame sunset?
Well, it's not much different in Washington, where Alex Ovechkin's future is even more uncertain given that his existing five-year contract runs out on June 30.
He may stay. He may retire.
And either way, it'd be a boon for GM Chris Patrick to snatch a guy like Robertson to team up with "The Great 8" for one year before he exits, or to take over right away if he decides 2025-26 was the end of the line.
The Capitals will have $36.5 million in cap space once Ovechkin's current $9.5 million hit goes away, but even if the Russian legend sticks around there's enough room available to fit Robertson in and transition to the future in D.C.
Detroit Red Wings
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It may be Steve Yzerman. It may be Steve Yzerman's successor.
Regardless, whomever is in control of the purse strings and the personnel decisions in Detroit would be well advised to consider bringing in a guy like Robertson after the latest dumpster fire of a playoff chase.
Detroit's 8-12-4 post-Olympic stretch drive was good for 28th overall and doomed them to a 10th consecutive missed postseason.
Seven of those misses have come on Yzerman's watch as GM, leaving many to suggest he ought to be replaced, or, if he stays on thanks to nostalgia for his days as a great player in the Winged Wheel sweater, prompting an unprecedented level of pressure on him to change the franchise's woeful fortunes.
Robertson would certainly move the needle, and, with nearly $33 million to spend, a lack of cash won't be a valid excuse.
New York Rangers
7 of 7
In every sport, there's a franchise or two that seem to be in on every big name.
The Rangers, when it comes to the NHL, are one of those franchises.
Few can rival the glamour of an Original Six franchise with a Cup-winning pedigree and the World's Most Famous Arena as a home base, and given its struggles for two seasons since a Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24, New York could use a big move.
The Rangers granted Artemi Panarin a playoff-seeking wish when they dealt him to Los Angeles on Feb. 4, but his absence creates a point-per-game-sized hole that few players are capable of filling.
Robertson has been one of those guys during his stay in Dallas and it's no stretch to suggest GM Chris Drury might like to transition from the "Breadman" to "Robo" to lead the Blueshirts into their next phase of contention.
If he can make it there, after all...well, you know the rest.
.jpeg?w=600 "Updated Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket")
