A trade is getting "pretty serious" between Jason Robertson and Eastern Conference team
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Penguins want Jason Robertson. The problem for Pittsburgh isn't Dallas's price, it's that Robertson keeps signaling he'd rather stay put.
Elliotte Friedman confirmed the Penguins and Stars held serious talks this summer.
"Pretty serious talks."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Kyle Dubas has already acquired Robertson's brother Nick from Toronto for a 2028 fourth-round pick.
The reunion storyline writes itself. The mechanics tell a different one.
On July 5, Robertson filed for salary arbitration, a move that quietly rewired the whole situation.
What arbitration actually changed
That filing made him ineligible for any offer sheet and capped an arbitration award at a single year.
So whoever trades for him now isn't buying a sign-and-trade centerpiece. They're renting a winger who can hit free agency next summer with no obligation to re-sign.
That is a very different asset than the one Seattle chased.
Robertson has shown his hand twice. He rejected a reported eight-year, $120 million offer in Seattle, then declined a Blues package built on multiple first-round picks.
A player turning down $120 million isn't chasing dollars or a brother. He wants Dallas.
Why Pittsburgh is the fallback, not the favorite
Robertson posted 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games last season, then added eight points in six playoff games.
Dallas sits tight against the cap at roughly $9.8 million. The Stars want him near $12 million; his camp is closer to $14 million.
That gap is real, but Dallas gains enormous room next year when Tyler Seguin's contract expires.
Arbitration bought Dallas time, and Robertson bought himself another Stars season.
Pittsburgh's $16.9 million and the Nick trade only matter if Jason decides he wants out. Nothing he's done suggests that.
The Penguins are a contingency plan, waiting on a decision that isn't theirs to make.
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